Through Another's Eyes
by Cenobia100
Summary: See the world through another's eyes. What do they see, feel, learn? How do they react to the pressures of life and how can they cope with the world when they cannot even comprehend their own goals and emotions. Fumikage Tokoyami is forced to answer these questions as he struggles through his teenage years. (Tagged as Friendship/Hurt/Comfort - Trust me, it'll happen)
1. Woodland Training! Tokoyami's Goal

**Chapter 1 - Woodland Training! Tokoyami's Goal!**

U.A. High School. A place of learning, a place where only the best of the best could train to become registered heroes. Sitting on the edge of the large town of Musutafu, it overlooks the city, towering above the rest of the landscape with its massive glass windows that perfectly reflected the sunlight across the rest of the town. It was a beacon of hope, a place of solitude and an educational facility with student positions which were sought after by everyone in the country.

The applications were constantly flooding in from young heroes fresh out of middle school, wanting the high school life that they had always dreamed of. But only a few got in. One in every three hundred applicants was the statistic shown to the public, but it was suspected to be one in every thousand that really got accepted. And even if you applied to get into the U.A. High School, you had to contend with more than just a written application.

Each year there was an entrance exam held in the Spring. Judged by a strict amount of non-biased examiners, it would assess a person's ability in combat, their logic and instincts, their values and morals and their tenacity to get to the goal they so desired. These very qualities were important for a hero's success at U.A. as their educational plan stemmed from constantly putting up barriers, goals that were only just out of reach, to see if the students had the power to overcome these hurdles, just like they would have to in reality when they graduated.

And now everything would be even more hectic that year as it was rumoured online that a new teacher would be arriving at the school. Someone who's prowess as a hero is so renowned that, not only are they the number one hero in Japan, but the Symbol of Peace that kept society from crumbling under the threat of the Villains whose goals sought to tear that foundation out from underneath them.

And so for one young man, in particular, he knew he would need to work extra hard to get into the school of his dreams. His Quirk (Another name for a superpower) was powerful but there were many factors that determined just how powerful his attacks and defences could be. Under the light of the sun, he was weakened, but in the shade and darkness, he could be strong.

The forest was quiet as the sun rose into the air, sunlight passing through the canopy of leaves and onto the forest floor below. Leaves, branches, logs and a few stray plants littered the floor, nary a sound to be heard aside from the swishing of the branches as they swayed in the faint breeze that was drifting past them. A small fox sniffed at a tree trunk, glancing around with it's beaded eyes in any direction it could.

 **Crunch**

Leaves fell from the branches above the fox, a loud snap echoing throughout the forest. The serene peace had been broken and a grunt could be heard as a dark figure now crouched on a tree branch, just out of view from the fox. It scarpered away, terrified by the sudden noise, leaving the figure alone in his branch. A piercing set of red eyes surveyed the scene before hopping down from the tree.

The young teen that landed in the forest glanced upwards, breathing a sigh of relief as he brushed away a few stray pieces of dirt that had clung to his dark black vest. He kicked off some stray grass from his trainers, also a dark black, wiping off a few twigs from his black trousers. Taking a deep breath, he pushed a hand through his feathers and looked upwards at the canopy.

This moody style belonged to Fumikage Tokoyami, although almost everyone he knew never used his first name. Tokoyami sounded cooler, so he preferred it, a simple choice on his part. Now, he was a normal young man for all intents and purposes, especially in a world where superpowers could be considered normal, but there was one unique aspect about him that everyone always noticed.

His head was that of a dark bird. Imagine a raven or a crow, but with spiked up feathers that looked like the hair you'd see in a manga. And where a normal person would have a mouth, he had a small yellow beak instead. Luckily, he had human teeth inside his mouth so he could eat and interact like anyone else, but it was an abnormality that certainly made people turn heads. He always wore a red choker around his neck to hide the point of connection between his bird-like head and his human body.

But his head wasn't like that out of choice. It was his quirk that had caused this transformation. The quirk known as Dark Shadow was both a blessing and a curse for the boy. A dark shadow-like demon, as he'd liked to tell people, lived inside of him under his beck and call for the most part. It was like having a pet, but this pet was connected to him and was a dangerous shadow creature that could easily kill everyone around him if the situation was dire.

The Dark Shadow's form was that of a dark crow, so Tokoyami's features had seemingly warped to match that. Though the aesthetic actually seemed to help him in terms of his persona. He was cool, calm and collected. His emotions were controlled and he had learned from a young age that he was not to lose his temper when Dark Shadow was at it's most powerful. In the dead of night, where no lights blared and danger was afoot, it would be easy to lose control as he had once before as a child.

Though nobody was hurt, the feeling of being out of control was something Tokoyami carried with him through his young life all the way into his teenage years. He would not let himself forget the guilt so that he could keep himself from falling into darkness yet again. And it was not like Dark Shadow was bad. In fact, for the most part, the sentient shadow was a valuable ally and even a friend to Tokoyami.

It's offensive and defensive capabilities were outstanding compared to that of lesser Quirks and he knew that, if he could control it, he could become one of the top heroes of a new generation. His parents had been fully supportive of his dream and his father had even suggested that he try for U.A. High School's Hero Course. Truly, it would be a once in a lifetime chance and he couldn't afford to pass it up.

Which was why he was currently training in the forests outside of his home for the Entrance Exams. He had already submitted his written application a week prior and had received the OK to compete in the exams, so now his goal was simply to keep going and prove his worth against other actual heroes.

"Found you!" He heard a voice call out, spinning around, summoning his Dark Shadow into a barrier ahead of him. His eyes darted swiftly, noticing the shadow dashing straight towards him.

He leapt backwards, his Quirk shielding him as a large slam hit the ground where he stood. He felt the wind picking up around him and he quickly darted behind a tree, grasping on to a small handhold in the trunk.

His feet began to rise with the wind, the slam turning into some form of a miniature tornado. But today he was not going to get sucked into the vortex. 'Dark Shadow, grab the log from my feet and throw it into the attack!'

As asked, the log was thrown by his shadow, launching into the whirling winds at a rapid pace. He swiftly pushed off of the tree he was holding onto, kicking with all of his might to spring himself away from the tornado. At that moment, he felt the winds calm and a loud thud reached his ears. The log had done its job. Launching away from the clearing, he darted upwards, leaping into the air, the shadow acting as a rope as he swung away from the clearing.

He landed on a stray branch, now more aware than ever of the dangers around him and he let himself take a few short breaths to keep himself from overexerting. He needed all of his senses on high alert if he was able to escape the man chasing him. A teacher hired by his father to train him. This was their last day training together and his goal was simple.

Escape the forest before being caught. Only the log trick would not work a second time. Villains were not so stupid as to fall for the same ruse twice in a row. And if they were, they'd already have been captured by that point in the fight. These were little nuggets of information that he had learned practising for when he eventually would have to put his skills to the test.

Leaping forwards, he glanced upwards at the sun, noticing it was to his left. The sun always rises in the east and he knew that meant he was pushing South. The forest would be thinning very soon, he need only move faster than his teacher could catch him.

Thus he was caught completely off guard when a slicing sound cut through the air and he felt the tree he was on begin to topple. His eyes shot downwards where he could see the tree had been completely severed from its trunk. With pure instinct being the only thing driving him, he kicked forwards, Dark Shadow swinging around behind him to block falling branches as Tokoyami plummeted to the ground.

He needed to land safely and carefully, pushing himself into a roll to mitigate any damage that he normally would have taken. Rolling into the grass, he pushed forwards with enough momentum to get back on to his feet. And now he was zooming through the trees, feet padding along at a rapid pace as he continued to sprint through the forest.

The light was getting brighter and the trees were thinning. He was almost out of the forest!

The slice of wind that slammed into his side was even more of a surprise as he felt himself smash into a tree trunk to his left. His eyes closed in intense pain as he slid down to the ground, winded from the attack. Upon opening his eyes, he could see the taller form of his teacher walking through the undergrowth.

The man was dressed in a dark grey shirt, a cloak of pure white wrapped around his back, like a cape. His arms had small metallic objects that were used to direct his wind energy at targets. His Quirk, Cyclone, was able to create pure wind energy and form it into attacks, be it tornadoes or slices of wind. Either way, the force of something that could not be easily seen was a dangerous as any Quirk.

"It seems you let your guard down Fumikage," The man stated, now only a few paces away. "Your drive to escape clouded your judgement and kept you from observing your surroundings."

Tokoyami glanced downwards at his shirt, noticing a large cut in the black vest. It wasn't enough to draw blood but had that been a villain, it certainly could have been a fatal mistake. He could feel annoyance bubbling up inside. He knew better than that.

"Do you really think you can get into U.A. with your observational skills?" The man asked, giving Tokoyami a concerned look. "I want you to succeed, believe me. But you have to help yourself."

"I know," Tokoyami replied, pushing himself up from the ground, feeling himself shaking from the impact.

"Do you? If there is anything this last lesson of ours should teach you, it's this," His tutor motioned, pointing towards the exit of the forest. "The goal is but one piece of a bigger picture. View the whole picture and everything will become clear."

He knew this. He knew what he was being told. But he had not put his knowledge into practice. He had completely neglected to check his sides and he had let himself down because of it. With one week left, it was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Fumikage," The man said, turning away from him. "How many years have I trained you for?"

Tokoyami began to follow his teacher, replying, "Three years."

The man nodded, now strolling towards the exit of the forest, "And in those three years, what have you learned?"

Tokoyami took a moment to think, wondering what exactly the man wanted to hear. He had learned much from his training but he was not sure where this conversation was going. "Well, I've learned to expect the unexpected, never underestimate the enemy-"

"No, stop that train of thought." Tokoyami shut his mouth, confused. What did his teacher want from him? "My teachings cannot have gone to waste on you. There is one thing a Hero needs above all else. What is it?"

His thoughts were clouded. One thing a hero needs above all else? A sidekick seemed unlikely and irrelevant. A super move certainly didn't seem correct. Presence when saving people, a catchphrase? No... 'What could he mean? Above all else...'

"Do you mean, believing in my myself and my abilities?"

His teacher gave a thumbs up and a large smile as they emerged from the forest. The sun beat down on the pair, the winds blowing past them calmly across the countryside. Far in the distance, the city and U.A. sat shining, like a castle in the sky or a prize at the end of a rainbow. He knew he needed to get there. He *had* to get there!

"You're correct. You have a lot of power but you need to believe more in yourself and your Quirk," His teacher said, holding out his hand. In an instant, Dark Shadow had appeared underneath, as if like a cat. "It is a powerful entity. You know this. But you will never reach your full potential if you fear it."

"I don't fear it," Tokoyami replied gravely, looking at his Dark Shadow. That much was true. It wasn't fear that held him back, that was for sure. It was all about control. "Relying too heavily on my Quirk could cause me to lose control. No matter the cost, I cannot let that happen."

"Regardless of your circumstance, you're not even trying to use your Quirk's power to your fullest advantage. A true hero must be both bold and sure of himself. And you lack the conviction in yourself to really push your boundaries."

Lacking conviction. Was that really his issue? He had a great grasp on using Dark Shadow both defensively and offensively. So what was the issue here? What was he not seeing that apparently, his teacher had caught onto?

It was something that remained in his head for far longer than intended. His teacher left for the final time and still, Tokoyami was trying to figure out his words. Something that he was missing. A conviction that would boost him to new heights.

Sitting down at his computer to rest, he allowed his mind to wander, browsing the superhero forums in preparation for U.A. Apparently someone had cleaned most of the beachfront that used to be used as some sort of trash dump, All Might had confirmed his spot as a teacher at U.A. His eyes drifted over to the usual suspects, a group that he often talked with online. These people were relatively unknown to him, he had no idea of their locations, their Quirks or their looks. Just that they were middle school students like him.

He noticed only one of them online. AllMightFan1 was his name, and it wasn't hard to see what his interests were. Apparently, he had met the man himself, All Might, and was told that he "could become a hero." Whatever the case, he was extremely knowledgeable about the many licensed heroes on the scene and was a valuable source of knowledge.

 **Tsukuyomi:** Are you awake?

 **AllMightFan1:** Hey, Tsuku!

 **Tsukuyomi:** Ugh, it's been a long day.

 **AllMightFan1:** Tell me about it! I'm exhausted, been training.

 **Tsukuyomi:** Training? Whatever for?

 **AllMightFan1:** Well uh... I'm planning on attempting to get into U.A.

This made Tokoyami's eye raise. He knew this boy was quirkless and that he would have almost no shot at making it. Was he aiming for a general studies course? Perhaps the business course?

 **Tsukuyomi:** Which course are you attempting to enter?

 **AllMightFan1:** Well... The Hero Course.

 **Tsukuyomi:** Without a quirk? You know that'll make you more of a liability right?

 **AllMightFan1:** Of course I do! But I've been training! My goal is to get into U.A. and follow All Might's example! I want to become the best hero of them all!

This was certainly a step up from his usual shyness. Normally he wasn't as open with his goals with Tokoyami. What had changed to make him so confident all of a sudden? He was about to ask when another message from AllMightFan1 popped up on his dashboard, one that made him hesitate.

 **AllMightFan1:** What about you? What's your goal?

It was a simple question. He should have expected it really. But for whatever reason, he found himself very hesitant to answer it. What was his goal? To become a hero, yes. But for what purpose he still hadn't decided. This person was quirkless but his goal was right there for everyone to see. And here he sat with a powerful quirk and no idea what to do with it.

 **AllMightFan1:** Hey? Are you there? I didn't mean to upset you!

 **Tsukuyomi:** I'm fine...

A blatant lie on his part.

 **Tsukuyomi:** My goal is shrouded in mystery. I will see what the future holds for me.

 **AllMightFan1:** It's okay not to have a goal yet, you know. We're still young. We've got a lot of work to do before we reach the top! You'll do great Tsuku!

 **Tsukuyomi:** I fear I might not be as prepared as I would like.

 **AllMightFan1:** Prepared for what?

It took him a moment to realize, but he had never once stated his own intentions of going to U.A. Perhaps he was still unsure of himself, or maybe he didn't want the other boy to fuss over him, but after hearing that his online pen pal would be attending U.A's entrance exam as well...

 **Tsukuyomi:** You're not the only one who will be competing to get into U.A. I'm taking the exam myself.

 **AllMightFan1:** We could totally meet up! I'd love to meet you in person Tsuku!

 **Tsukuyomi:** We shall see. I'm afraid I cannot talk any longer. I need to rest. Good luck prepping for the exam!

 **AllMightFan1:** We'll both get in! I can't wait!

Tokoyami took a deep breath and sighed. One single conversation and he had realized he didn't even have a real goal for being a hero. To grow more powerful, to control his Quirk, to make it into U.A. He needed to focus. U.A. High School was waiting and he was not about to be left behind!


	2. UA High School! Exam Orientation!

**Chapter 2 - U.A. High School! Exam Orientation!**

Tokoyami was focused. His breathing was on point, his movements were fluid, his thoughts were calm. And yet there was the smallest sensation of nerves bubbling up from his stomach, threatening to throw off the delicate balance that was the emotions running through his body. Or perhaps that was just Dark Shadow's influence after a few days of no activity.

His eyes trailed up to the wide blue archway that stood before him, the gaping maw of a creature that he had yet to tame, not have experience with. Looking to his left and right, he could see the pristine stone walls moving off into oblivion, ending far down the street, far enough that he could not see the corners without at least squinting. The gate before him stood, a mechanical marvel, waiting for him to pass through.

But he was hesitant. Though he was ready, there was still a sense of trepidation that came with entering such an important place. It was all emphasized by the shining golden plaque above the archway, a curved golden U with an A caught in the middle. Sort of like the A letter was in a perfectly shaped bowl. It was the mark of U.A. High School.

Today was the day of the U.A. Entrance Exams. And today was the day that would decide his future. It was clear out, sunny with blue skies and a few clouds. The perfect day for physical training, although he personally preferred the rain where his shadow would not be so weakened by the rays.

Many potential applicants were already entering the school campus and he knew he must seem stupid hesitating outside of the gate. But it would be better for him to get his feelings in order before he entered, that way he wouldn't lose focus once inside. He needed to remain calm and steadfast, like a rock or a statue, calm and resolute. That was all.

"Hey, watch it bastard," A voice growled, pushing him. He felt himself shoved slightly to the side, but he held his ground as he saw a boy, taller than him, move past him. His blonde spiky hair and piercing red eyes connected with his own and though he didn't show it, he could feel himself tense up. "Fucking bird fucker!"

It took him only a moment to recognize who that was. Katsuki Bakugou, the boy who held out far longer than expected against the Sludge Villain that had attacked over a year ago. It was a story that everyone their age had heard, it had been shown on the internet constantly but the story was always changed slightly with each iteration.

But every story had said this, though Bakugou had held out for a long time, he did not escape on his own, nor with All Might. It was actually another boy, possibly a friend, who ran in there to save the day without a Quirk. Everyone had praised Bakugou for surviving and everyone had forgotten about the quirkless youth that had risked life and limb to save the other.

Tokoyami thought that both of the boys were powerful in their own right, but seeing Bakugou in the flesh was far different from hearing the stories. That cold lack of empathy coming from the other made him much warier than he was before.

"Hey, you're holding up the gate," A girl said walking past him.

Looking back, he was surprised to see that a large group of students were trying to get past him. Feeling his face flush red from embarrassment, he was suddenly glad that his feathers were so jet black that any blushes would simply be lost underneath the plumage. He gave a wave of apologies before turning back to the gate.

Focus. It was now or never. He needed to focus.

He took his first steps through the gate into U.A. academy, straightening himself up and taking off at a small brisk pace, passing the metallic arch, and the scanner that watched for villains and unauthorized personnel, before finding himself inside the walls of the campus. A large set of trees were placed around either side of the entrance, leading up to the front building.

The doors leading into the school were made of the same glass as the windows and the walk up to the patio where those doors sat was lined with weird statues that looked like idols on their left and right sides. He noticed many students, including Bakugou, walking up the stairs. And as he continued walking, that was when he noticed a weird sight.

His eyes, still trained on Bakugou's form, noticed that he had seemingly pushed past someone else who seemed to be concerned about something. It was a boy, roughly a few inches taller than him, who had black curly hair with green highlights at the tip. He looked like a manga protagonist or something along those lines. But his presence was small.

Just from a glance, Tokoyami could tell this boy wasn't the most assertive sort. But there was something calculating about him, and he seemed just happy to be there. He saw the boy turn around and couldn't believe his eyes when, just two steps forward, the boy caught his feet and slipped.

"Oh no," He heard a voice squeak. His eyes turned to see a young girl run forwards to grab the boy. On instinct, he also moved forwards quickly, noticing that the boy's yellow backpack had slipped off of his back. While she moved to grab the boy, he grasped the straps of the yellow pack and caught it before it could hit the floor, lifting up the fairly light pack with ease.

His eyes glanced over at the boy who looked shocked at the two people who had come to his rescue. And that was when Tokoyami noticed. The green haired boy was floating. His eyes noticed the girl had her hand on the boy's back and he could see small pads on her fingertips. Perhaps her Quirk allowed objects to float?

"W-what the-" The green haired boy stammered, eyes darting between the two of them.

"It's my Quirk," The girl replied with a smile, brushing away a large lock of brown curved hair. "Sorry for using it without asking first."

Tokoyami raised a brow, looking at the girl amused, while the green haired boy looked too flustered to really speak.

"But you know, it'd be bad luck if you fell, right?" She mused, placing her hands together. That was when the gravity seemed to return to normal and the boy was back on his feet.

"You're lucky someone was there to catch you," Tokoyami added, gesturing to the yellow backpack he had caught. The boy was even more flustered now and he could imagine what was going through the boy's head. Two people had to help him out before the exam even started. An embarrassing situation for some.

"Well aren't you nervous," The girl laughed, giving a genuine smile. Then she turned to Tokoyami while the boy stood there dumbfounded. "Thanks for helping out!"

"W-w-w-" The boy was trying to say something but it seemed his voice was caught in his throat.

The girl turned to the doors before looking back at them. "Let's do our best. See ya both!" And with a small wave, she headed off to the main patio leaving Tokoyami and the flustered boy by themselves.

Tokoyami pushed the backpack back into the arms of the flustered boy, making the other boy jump in the process. He looked to Tokoyami, then back to the girl who had just headed inside, then back to his backpack. Then with a sigh, he hoisted the bag onto his back and turned back to Tokoyami again.

"T-Thanks," He stammered.

"Don't mention it," Tokoyami replied somewhat gruffly before looking over to the doors. "We should get inside soon. If we wait any longer, they'll start without us."

He noticed the other boy go pale at that. He was seriously jumpy and definitely nervous. The last thing he wanted to do was scare the poor guy but at least that meant the boy was feeling the pressure. Better to feel something than nothing at all. The butterflies in his own stomach certainly agreed.

"Shall we?" He asked, motioning to the door. He may as well walk with the boy seeing as they're both heading in the same direction.

"With me?" The other boy asked in surprise. Tokoyami gave a curt nod, at least trying to keep polite as they started walking up the stairs. He wasn't prepared for the sudden burst of happiness in the other boy's face. His eyes went wide, a smile formed on his lips and his eyes seemed to glaze over a bit. "Like, as a friend!?"

 _'Jeez, has this kid not had any friends before?'_

He could only imagine what sort of childhood someone that happy to have someone to talk to had experienced in the past. And that was when he remembered why he had even seen the boy in the first place.

"Sorry for the questions, but did you know that Bakugou guy?" He asked calmly. He wasn't sure what he was expecting for a response but the soft smile that replaced the bright and cheery demeanour on the boy's face wasn't it. Suddenly things felt melancholy as they stepped through the glass doors of U.A.'s main entrance.

"We've known each other since we were kids," The boy quietly said. "He's amazing. His Quirk is so powerful but he's really stubborn."

Tokoyami nodded, noting that they needed to go down a rather large hallway to reach the Exam Orientation room. Many other examinees were heading down slowly so they weren't that late at least.

"I need to get into the U.A. Hero Course. It doesn't matter that Kacchan doesn't want me here. I've got my own dreams and I can't let him get in the way," The boy explained, Tokoyami nodding in agreement.

"So I assume Bakugou is why you're so skittish," He assumed, noticing the boy look at him in both surprise, denial and embarrassment. His head was hung a little low and he let out a small whine of annoyance.

He turned to look up at the bird, a glum look plastered on his face, "Is it that obvious?" Tokoyami just nodded, noticing they were nearing the door to the exam room.

"It looks like we're here. And as we're different seats, it seems we must part ways," He stated, looking at the other boy.

The other boy gave a small nod, pushing inside of the auditorium. But as he went to leave, he turned to Tokoyami, "I'm Izuku Midoriya by the way!"

He gave a small smile before replying, "Fumikage Tokoyami, good luck."

Izuku gave a small nod before turning away, moving into the darkened auditorium with Tokoyami watching him go. His eyes moved around, surveying the auditorium with intense interest. The lights were turned off and the stage at the centre looked ready for someone to do a concert. He had an idea of what to expect as he looked around to see students of all types filing into their seats.

Pushing forward into the sea of teenagers, he moved through the back rows looking for his seat. He had no idea who anyone else in this place was as all of his old friends had applied for schools in other places. He was the only one brave, or foolish, enough to try out for U.A. And the many different people with both visible and non-visible Quirks he'd seen were certainly interesting.

"I forgot to ask Midoriya about his Quirk," He realized, muttering to himself quietly. He'd do it later if they met up again. There was something about that boy that made him wonder.

He was so lost in thought, he didn't have time to react when he felt himself bump into something tough. He felt himself slip backwards, unable to make a sound as he felt his weight slip towards the floor. He didn't even have time to react and correct himself. And he couldn't summon Dark Shadow yet as he needed rest for the exam.

 _'Great, now I'm going to get the bad luck from falling over!'_

He barely registered something wrapping around his waist, pulling him back up and he felt his beak slam into something tough. He heard a small thud before a concerned tone rang through his head. "Hey, are you alright?"

He looked up, his red eyes meeting a pair of black eyes staring back at him. And as the picture became clearer, it only just occurred to Tokoyami how weird a situation he was in.

The guy standing above him was watching him with concern, his black eyes mirroring whatever he was feeling quite well. He had crazy white hair that covered most of his face aside from his eyes and adorned along the lower half of his face was a cyan mask that covered his mouth all the way down to his neck. He was wearing a light blue shirt and a pair of blue jeans. But what was interesting was that he had more than two arms.

It only took him a few seconds of counting to realize he had four arms hanging off his sides. Looking down in embarrassment only caused further confusion as Tokoyami looked down to see two more arms wrapped around his waist. Apparently, this guy had caught him as he fell over. _'Could this day get any more humiliating?'_

"Sorry for bothering you," He said, the arms finally releasing from around his waist now that he was back on solid ground. "Thanks for catching me though. I hear it's bad luck to fall over right before the exam."

"As long as you're okay," The other boy, who seemed slightly older than him, said, the concern still in his voice.

Tokoyami merely nodded, taking a look at his seat number. "Actually, do you know where 2000 through 2010 are meant to sit by any chance?"

The other boy gave a curt nod, motioning to his own ticket. "I'm number 2002, you?"

Tokoyami looked down at his ticket to see a shiny 2003 right next to it. "Huh, looks like we're next to each other."

"Good. You seem strong," The taller stated, looking him up and down, like sizing up the competition. "I think our seats are that way."

Before he even had time to think, he felt one of those arms snake around him like some sort of tentacle before dragging him through the ocean of students to where they were meant to be seated. He didn't even get the chance to reprimand the boy as once they reached their seats, he noticed the stage at the centre of the room was darkening.

He wanted to hiss at the other boy some sort of word about how he didn't need to be dragged around and that he could handle himself just fine, but he figured with everyone beginning to silence down, it wasn't something to lose his cool over. He needed to stay focused and composed. Now was his chance to relax-

The lights blared on and suddenly an irritatingly upbeat voice penetrated the eardrums of everyone in the auditorium,"For all of you examinee listeners tuning in, welcome to my show!" He knew the voice and recognized the hero that had blown up his eardrums as Present Mic. He was able to conduct his voice into energy waves through the speakers on his neck.

And on top of that, he thought he was pretty hip with the kids, "Everybody say 'Hey'!"

An echoing silence was all that he got in return as a majority of the auditorium struggled to deal with the full power of his voice. Although from where Tokoyami was sitting, he could see that some people in the middle row were chatting about something.

"What a refined response," Present Mic said despairingly. It seemed he'd worked hard on that opening. But nobody was willing to really take him up on his antics. "Then I'll quickly present to you the rundown of the practical exam!"

The exam was pretty simple to understand and he found himself quickly making mental notes about how it all worked. They would all be split into different stations across the campus and be forced to battle a large array of robots. The goal was to defeat as many robots as possible to rack up a large number of points. The top scorers would make it into the U.A. Hero Course while those who didn't pass would be sent packing.

On top of that, there was another robot worth 0 points that was meant to be difficult to fight in small spaces. With the ten minutes they're given, they were told that it would be best to run from this robot. But Tokoyami wasn't so sure. Why would they suggest running if they were sending another robot after them? Something was fishy about the entire test and he wasn't about to lose because of a loophole or secret rule.

"What station are you in?" He heard the guy next to him ask. Turning, he was surprised to see that the guy was using one of his spare hands as a mouth to talk. It was slightly unnerving but he tried not to let it show. The last thing he needed to do was disrespect the guy.

Looking down at his card, he saw imprinted on it, 'Battle Center A.' Flicking his card up in the other boy's direction, he noticed the mouth on the guy's hand twist into a smile.

Raising a brow, he noticed that the other was showing his card with one of his spare hands. And right there in the centre was another 'Battle Center A'.

"Looks like we'll be facing off then," Tokoyami grinned, finally beginning to feel a bit of confidence. Even if he barely knew this other guy, having a rival in the exam could prove useful in keeping himself focused and motivated. "Fumikage Tokoyami by the way," He introduced, sticking out his hand for the other.

"Mezo Shouji," The other boy said, and Tokoyami thought he could see the sides of Shouji's mask lift into a smile.

"PLUS ULTRA!" A loud voice screamed and before they realized it, they'd actually tuned out of Present Mic's final speech. "Now everyone to the campus buses! It's time for you to start your exam!"

* * *

 **I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Tokoyami is quite cool and collected in the show, but that's only because every time we see him it's through Midoriya's eyes. I imagine he has a tougher time keeping up with being focused the whole time.**

 **And of course I just had to make him fall into Shouji's arms. It was great to poke fun at him for falling for the exact same situation he was just chastising Midoriya for a few minutes prior.**

 **Next chapter I'll be focusing on the Entrance Exam as well as the results! Make sure to leave a comment and kudos if you enjoyed!**


	3. Entrance Exam! The Wait is Over!

**Chapter 3 - Entrance Exam! The Wait is Over!**

The buses that the schools used to take them from the main campus to one of the side arenas were extremely open-ended. There was a ton of space to stand or sit as you wanted. Sitting down was as simple as picking a seat and relaxing. It was like one of those buses you'd get at an airport where you need more space than seats. Even so, there were some things that remained the same regardless of the type of bus. The 'cool' kids sat at the back.

And Tokoyami, with his steely gaze, was certainly one of them. Taking the window seat at the very back of the bus, he had no problems shifting into a state of focus for the battle to come. His Dark Shadow had been waiting for a battle and they were so close to giving it the battle that it deserved. Ten minutes should be more than enough to take down some robots and come out on top.

His real priority was the rest of the group around him. Midoriya was nowhere to be seen which meant he was probably at another battle centre, same as that girl that he had met before. Shouji was sitting a few seats away, having gone to meditate on his own for a while. The guy had seemed confident until he'd seen the number of students per centre. At that point, it became a case of finding out the best strategy to take out robots.

Near the front of the bus, right by the door, was Tokoyami's real worry. Katsuki Bakugou sat there, a ball of explosive anger that would not hesitate to pound both friend and enemy alike into the dust. Sure, Tokoyami had never actually seen Bakugou fight but there was an air of arrogance about him. There was an anger that needed to be satiated and he had seen people like that before. They were some of his least favourite types of hero to see.

Dark Shadow, while fully charged, would still be weakened due to the sun's rays. If he wanted to do some damage, he would need to be quick and he would need to be sure that his hits would be fatal. There was no telling just how difficult one robot would be to take down, let alone a small army of them. With the ten-minute time limit, they had to be fairly weak. There were so many applicants that there had to be enough robots for them all to take down.

On top of that, he was competing with all of these other people as well. People with unknown Quirks of their own. These were his opponents and he wasn't about to lose his shot at U.A. High School, his dream school life, to these other heroes, regardless of how well they can use their Quirks. He was determined. He couldn't go home knowing that he hadn't given it his all.

Turning his head to look out the window, he wondered just how large the grounds of U.A. were. They had been driving for a good ten minutes and they had yet to leave the premises. They had gone past trees and rocks, rivers and even a lake at one point, until finally, as he glanced outside, he could see something in the distance. The fighting arena, a reconstruction of an entire cityscape, was the site of their battle.

Skyscrapers and rural areas alike, this was a place that, in the normal world, would be full of civilians. There was a high chance that he would need to mitigate the damage of these robots to keep the town intact. They could be knocking off marks for buildings destroyed, damaged properties and more. There certainly couldn't just be a grade based on killing the robots.

The bus began to pull in and he could feel the tension as all of the potential heroes looked out at the city in awe. Having already seen and scanned what he needed to, Tokoyami was actually feeling quite confident in his abilities. If this was like a normal city, there would be some streets that are darker than others. There was no need to only fight on the main streets. He just needed to find the right positions and he'd be fine.

Glancing around, his eyes caught sight of Shouji looking outwards at the city. There was a steely determination in his eyes and Tokoyami could already sense that he'd be one to watch out for. Those six arms of his were more flexible than they let on and if he could form a mouth on his spare hands, he could probably form ears or eyes as well. His senses would be sharpened allowing him to spot the enemy faster.

Dark Shadow was no slouch though. The demon inside of him was sentient to an extent and would act as a second mind, being able to spot things that Tokoyami might easily miss in the fight. He was both a defensive safety measure and an extension of his fighting prowess, as well as a boon companion on the road ahead. Dark Shadow was the one constant that he could rely on and nothing could change that in this exam.

And lastly, his eyes drifted to the end of the bus once more. He noticed that Bakugou's hands were smoking and it seemed the young boy was itching to get into the arena and fight. He knew he'd need to stay as far away from that explosion Quirk as possible. It would only weaken Dark Shadow and hinder his chances of passing the exam.

And as he finalized his battle plan, he heard the sounds of the bus's engine splutter out and the small sound of air releasing marked the opening of the bus doors. People scrambled out quickly but he knew better than to just rush outside without a care in the world. He needed to observe who the quick thinkers were and make a note of them. And he was not surprised to see that while Bakugou had rushed off the bus first, to be expected, Shouji and he were the last two to leave the vehicle.

"Good luck out there," The taller boy stated as they hopped out before he moved off into the crowd, Tokoyami giving him a resolved look as he left.

"I'm gonna be the one who wins this fucking exam! Just you watch, extras!" A loud voice at the front of the pack boomed. Bakugou. He had no doubt that the guy had the prowess to back up his claims, but it would not be such an easy victory for him if it came down to damage control.

He stepped around the side of the mob clamouring around the starting gate, taking a starting position to the side. Being near the front of these things was for purely physical fighters. He wasn't a completely physical fighter, more of a medium range crowd clearer if anything. But that didn't stop those angry red eyes from noticing him.

"And you bird fucker!" Great, he'd been singled out. Just his luck. "I saw you sizing me up. Don't think you've got any chance against me! Get in my way and I will kill you!"

Tokoyami turned his head away sharply, ignoring the angry boy. The last thing he needed was some cocky punk riling him up before the fight. He needed to focus and keep his emotions under control. He had been doing well at seeing the big picture while analyzing his strategy but to put that into effect meant ignoring the ass that was Bakugou Katsuki.

"Alright, are we ready to go," A voice called out, all of them turning to see the lovely Present Mic on a TV screen above the arena. Luckily his voice wasn't too deafening since it wasn't in person but he was sure whichever station had the actual Present Mic was suffering for it.

The entire group turned silent at the Pro's words, all of them turning to look at the TV screen with intense trepidation. He could feel the atmosphere change like the flip of a coin. One minute it was all cheers and excitement, the next it was focus and determination. While they looked at Present Mic, he glanced around at his competitors one final time.

Some of them looked determined, others looked uninspired and some were terrified. But everyone was ready and raring to go. He just needed to be at the top of this group. Be confident, be bold and be daring. ' _Don't allow anyone else to take you down a peg and keep the focus on your fights and on Dark Shadow. You can do this_ _Tokoyami!'_

"Very well then. Get ready!"

Everyone turned to the gate, some competitors getting one last look at the other heroes, some focusing on their stances, some charging their Quirks.

"Get set!"

Tokoyami lowered himself slightly into a running position. He would need space to leap once he was in the city. He'd need to get some high ground and move as far into the city as he could. Get away from the pack. As long as he had robots to defeat, it would be an easy victory. _'This is it! Make this count!'_

 **"START!"**

Tokoyami leapt forwards, dashing towards the gate with the speed of someone with an intense amount of stamina at his disposal. He allowed some of the rabble to push on through the gate, some getting stuck at the starting line as they all shoved into each other in an attempt to move through the small entryway.

This was his chance!

"Dark Shadow, push off from the ground!" He shouted, summoning his shadow from his body.

The dark mass of purple formed, slamming straight into the ground to give Tokoyami the momentum needed to push himself high into the sky. He felt the wind rushing through his feathers, just like those days in the forest, and now that he was airborne he'd need to plan a route through the city.

As far as he could see, the city was massive but there was one single main road that connected everywhere else. There were some Robots already on the main road and he knew they'd be taken out in less than a minute or two. It'd be a waste to take them on. He looked to his left, seeing a stray pipe hanging from a rooftop nearby. "Aim there!" He shouted, his Shadow already in sync with where he was looking.

As he felt himself being pulled to the rooftop, his eyes darted back to the large conglomeration of people trying to push through the gates. Though he couldn't make out any faces, he could see one further ahead, already on top of one of the robots. A large explosion rocked that figure, telling Tokoyami all he needed to know. Bakugou would be making it difficult for anyone on the main road.

Slipping onto the rooftop, he wasted no time, running over to the next street which was a lot narrower, but still too close to the main strip. He'd need to get at least three streets away to have a chance at his own robots and the distance between the rooftops wasn't much. He could probably leap them without using Dark Shadow, which would help keep his power ready for the main battle.

Pushing himself off the roof, he jumped as high as possible, leaping across the gap between the rooftops, landing with a safe roll at the other side, just like when he was attacked in the tree the other day in the forest. His training was paying off tenfold. He did the same for the next rooftop jump before deciding that he was far enough away from the main battle.

Looking down, he peered into one of the side streets, noticing it was covered by a set of verandas, a perfect place for him to fight. He leapt from the roof, trusting in his Dark Shadow to slow his fall by taking his weight as he hit the ground. He felt the thud of the earth but he was already up and ready to fight, his Dark Shadow cushioning any danger.

And there in front of him were a group of robots. Some worth three points, some worth 2 points, all of them ready to be smashed up. "Bring it on," He growled, launching forwards, swinging his Dark Shadow Quirk outwards like a claw. He felt one of the robot tear under the strain, ripping into two pieces with relative ease.

That meant that the robots were weak to their Quirks. It really was a game to stack up as many points as possible in the quickest time available. And he had a whole street of the mechanical monsters that he could take down fairly easily.

He turned from the first downed robot, seeing another taking aim at his head. The bullet fired but Dark Shadow was already there shielding the bullet shells. "Reflect!" He shouted, the shells launching back towards the robot that had fired them. The bullets, which were fired back with two times the momentum, ripped through the robot that had launched the attack and into the one behind it as well.

But before Tokoyami could react, the downed robots burst into flames, flaring up into the street catching a few others in the blast. Within a few moments, the battle had turned from his advantage to theirs. The robots that still remained were able to walk through the flames towards Tokoyami, while he was unable to get close to them due to the fire.

Dark Shadow's one weakness was light. It would become as docile as a cat in bright lights. It was a glaring weakness but he was trained to avoid situations where his Quirk would become weak. And in the event that it did become an issue, he was still fast enough and capable enough to move without any real trouble. That being said, he needed to get away from the fire quickly or find a way to put it out.

He ducked as one of the closer robots swiped at him and pushed himself backwards. But his blood ran cold when he felt the hard feeling of brick behind him. He'd been cornered and he hadn't even realized it. So much for seeing the big picture. He hadn't been careful enough damn it!

"I won't fall that easily," He shouted, slashing at the closest robot with his own hand, giving it a solid punch. However, it was not nearly enough to damage the creation, let alone kill it. This was quickly turning into a one-sided fight and he knew he'd need a miracle to get out of this.

So he was surprised when a large torrent of water burst down the street and a group of random heroes appeared. He ducked, looking upwards before leaping into the air. He needed to get out of that road. He'd gotten a lot of kills from when the robots blew each other up but he needed more.

His eyes shifted to the rooftops near the main road. There were a few robots guarding them and he could probably sneak up and strike them down. Using the same technique as before, he leapt from the roof near the narrow street, heading back towards the main road.

His mind was racing as he tried to think up a more concrete strategy for dealing with these robots. He couldn't allow himself to get caught off guard again otherwise he'd definitely be throwing away his chance for sure.

Landing on the roof closest to the main strip, he quickly ducked behind a small water tower before the two robots standing on the roof's edge could notice him. He needed to come up with a plan for taking them out and could not afford to mess this one up.

Moving out from behind his hiding place, he sprinted towards the two robots, hearing the mechanical whir of their bodies shifting to face the threat. Before they could get a shot launched, he motioned forwards, slamming his two hands together, his Dark Shadow's claws ripping into the body of the first robot, tearing it into four distinct pieces.

The second robot let out a furious flurry of bullets, Tokoyami, edging to the side to try and avoid them. He felt a few graze the side of his torso, a small price to pay for the victory he was about to receive. He'd noticed that after a flurry of bullets, the robots would need a few moments to reload their ammunition. And that was his shot.

Slicing upwards, he brought his Quirk through the second robot, slicing it like butter. And as before in the streets below, he jumped backwards, anticipating the explosion that was to come. He knew he would need to get off the rooftop if he wanted to avoid the brunt of the damage and launched himself into the air. His aim was another roof just ahead of him.

He had the momentum to land square in the centre, safe from harm and finally it seemed that things were beginning to look up in this exam. And it was right as he leapt away that he heard the sudden roar of the explosion behind him. He wasn't prepared for the sound to rip through his eardrums, causing him to shift slightly to the right in pain.

His angle was messed up by the shockwave sent out by the explosion. And it took him a brief second to realize he was about to miss the roof by a few inches and plummet off the edge. His Dark Shadow tried to grasp at the closest handhold, a small statue that sat on the corner of the roof, but to no avail. It slipped through the shadow's fingers and Tokoyami could only choke out a surprised gasp as he slipped down into the chaos below.

And for the second time that day he felt something wrap around his waist and a voice cry out, "I've got you!"

The whiplash of having his momentum stopped caused him to cry out with sudden pain, feeling his back crack in a rather uncomfortable manner. It certainly wasn't fatal or even endangering, but it damn well hurt and he was not a tank.

"Tokoyami! Are you alright?" He heard a familiar voice call in his ear, feeling himself slowly being lifted up from the cold air and back on to solid ground.

He was not surprised at who stood there, ready to greet him. Shouji was standing there, a seriously worried look in his eyes that Tokoyami noted seemed much more serious than the look of amusement he'd seen earlier that day.

"I did not think I'd be falling for you again," He joked, a small cough making it's way to the surface as he began to breathe in from his whiplash.

If Shouji was phased by the joke, he didn't show it. The concern was there but that poker face was something else entirely. "You could have seriously hurt yourself."

"Dark Shadow would have broken my fall," He countered, pushing himself off the ground to stand up straight. His eyes were already darting around, looking for the next target that he could find.

"The look on your face said otherwise," The taller one replied, turning away. "Though we are opponents, we are also heroes. Saving you was just something I had to do as a hero."

Tokoyami begrudgingly nodded at his words. He knew that Shouji was right about his philosophy. But that reliance on others was something he could ill afford if he wanted to make it in the hero scene. He was about to tell Shouji that he was grateful for the save when they felt the ground shake beneath them.

"W-what is this?" He choked out, slipping to the ground purposefully to centre his weight. Standing on the uneven ground would just be him asking to trip and fall off the roof.

His question was answered when the sudden earthquake turned into a massive explosion of dirt and stone. One moment, it was calm in the city, the next moment there were buildings thrown to the sides, roads were completely devastated and the telltale sound of whirring hit his ears. But not just any whirring. It was the sound of something much larger than anything he had encountered already.

His eyes darted to the main street where the source of this catastrophe had come from. And there a menacing figure that blotted out the sun, as if it came from the depths of Hell itself, rose from the ground. A metal cacophony of drills, guns, arms and more. It was a gargantuan robot that constricted the main street into a narrow line of destruction.

"That must be the 0 point robot!" Shouji shouted, a twinge of fear noted in his voice.

That was when the robot's head turned. Slowly it creaked, that mechanical noise ingraining itself into their heads as a set of crimson red robotic eyes locked onto their position. It had seen them.

"Oh sh-"

 **CRASH**

Tokoyami felt himself flying through the air, sailing onto the next rooftop over. Debris and dirt lay across the ground, concrete raining down from the sky where the wreckage of the roof he had just been standing on collapsed to the ground. The water tower tipped, the water beginning to drop to the streets, soaking the fires below in the streets, but Tokoyami could only register a fraction of what was going on.

His head felt light and yet heavy at the same time. A dull throbbing sensation reverberated through his skull, like an egg that had been cracked open. A minor concussion probably or something along those lines. He shakily looked around, blinking slowly as time seemed to slow to halt.

That was when he saw the form of Shouji a few paces away, deathly close to the edge of the roof. His eyes were closed tight in pain and one of his hands was bent at an unnatural angle that looked extremely painful to bear with.

"S-Shouji?" He coughed out slowly, the words requiring a lot of energy to even say, let alone raise his voice enough for the other to hear.

If the other had heard him, he didn't show it. Shouji was clearly wrapped up in his own issue to deal with Tokoyami's call.

And then it happened.

The roof they were both on suddenly shook and he noticed that bit by bit, the concrete holding up the rooftop they had landed on was starting to fracture. Concrete was tough to break, but whatever that robot was made out of, it had knocked the building out of its foundations.

His eyes followed the cracks, trying to will himself to move. He could just barely feel movement in his body as he lifted himself upwards, head swimming with confusion from a pounding headache in his skull.

And then Shouji's body suddenly began to slip. The roof tilted and the taller of the two slowly began to slide towards the edge, inch by inch. Tokoyami's mind was at war, confused and dazed, but still rearing from what he had been told just a minute before. What it meant to be a hero from Shouji's perspective. That was probably his philosophy and a part of his goal.

But Tokoyami still had no idea what his aspirations were for aside from the now. But he knew what a hero needed to do.

It was said that every single Pro Hero had one thing in common. In their school days, before they were scouted, there was one thing that linked them all together. In a moment of crisis, their bodies moved before they could even think.

Tokoyami had never had this moment. He had always thought about his strategies and his plans, but he had always missed out on crucial key moments. His teacher had drilled into his head that he needed to see the big picture and understand everything around him.

But really that was wrong. Sometimes there wouldn't be a chance to figure out a strategy or plan a safe route. Sometimes he would just have to go basic, sometimes he would just need to worry about the now and forget the future for the time being.

And the now was saving Mezou Shouji.

Before his mind could even catch up to that train of thought, his body had already flung itself forwards towards the taller boy right as Shouji tipped over the edge. He slammed into the, now unconscious, hero and felt only the wind through his feathers as they began a descent towards the ground.

"Dark Shadow!" He shouted, using the last of his drained strength to summon his Quirk beneath him. The ground was rushing up fast and there was no time to wrap around something to stop their falling.

Knowing this could end up rather painful for him, he braced himself for impact, shrouding the pair with his Dark Shadow as they slammed into the tarmac of the road.

And then it all went black.

* * *

 **This was never going to be easy for my interpretation of Tokoyami. He lacks the awareness to keep on top of his foes and unlike Bakugou, he's not as confident in his abilities at this point. He's a far cry from that cool bird from the anime just yet but trust me, the bird we all know and love will shine.**

 **Anyway, that's it for the Entrance Exam. I'm not amazing at action scenes but hopefully you got the jist of what was going on. I much prefer to get into a character's psyche and angst attack them.**

 **Please consider leaving a kudos or a comment!**


	4. Results Day! Tokoyami's Hero Academia!

**Chapter 4 - Results Day! Tokoyami's Hero Academia!**

Tokoyami's eyes snapped open, blinking rapidly to accommodate for the rather large bright light that was shining him down in the face. His eye lids felt heavy and weary, like he had just been through a very rough time. His arms especially felt strained, like he had been overexerting himself and using too much power.

His skull felt heavy and his head felt like a pendulum, swinging back and forth with each swing being a flash of pain for him to endure. He hadn't been in so much discomfort in his life and for the first time in a very long while he felt rather vulnerable. What on earth had caused so much damage to have him feeling so awf-

"The exam," He choked out, eyes widening in surprise as he shot upwards from where he was laid out.

Looking down, he noticed a white cover resting over his body and it only took him a few moments to realize he wasn't wearing his normal clothing. In fact, the white tacky fabric of those awful hospital gowns seemed to be what he was stuck wearing. Looking around, he realized he wasn't outside in the city with the exam or anywhere he could recognize.

Looking to his left, he could see a large wide glass window that stretched out across the bay. Next to the window sat a bed, similar to the one he had just realized he'd found himself on. _'Am I in a hospital ward?'_ His eyes strayed to the other side of the room where he could see three other beds laid out across the wall. The room was probably mirrored on either side and he was facing the middle bed so there had to be a bed to his right.

Surely enough, turning to the right revealed another space for a bed. Although the beds to his immediate left and right were concealed by some blue curtains. Either way, he had finally figured out what was going on. He was in a hospital bay in an uncomfortable amount of pain.

Suddenly his vision began to spin, placing a hand to his head to calm himself down. It was like a severe case of vertigo, a feeling of nausea washing over Tokoyami as he allowed himself to rest his head back against the wall behind him, shutting his eyes in annoyance. He could feel a bandage running across his forehead and quickly deduced that the majority of his pain was coming from his head and it was screwing with the rest of his body.

"Ah, you're awake," An old croaky voice said. Opening his eyes, he noticed someone had moved to the edge of the bed. And it only took him a moment to recognize who this person was. The gray hair and small stature, the pink helmet with the blue tinted visor and the white doctor's robes. There was no mistaking it.

This person was known as Recovery Girl, a Heroine famous for her power to help heal the wounded and increase the healing properties of a person's body. While there were some draw backs to her Quirk, such as her patients needing the stamina to heal the injuries themselves and a lack of power when used repeatedly, she was one of the top nurses in her field and a powerful healing class Heroine.

"Do you remember much about what happened in the exam, dearie?" She asked sweetly, a small smile on her lips. There was a warm concern about her voice that soothed patients and he found himself falling quietly under those effects. "There's no need to rush. Just nod if you don't feel like talking."

"I-I'm fine," He stammered, finding his voice was a lot weaker than he had expected. How much energy had he lost in the exam to cause this? "I remember fighting the robots."

Recovery Girl pulled up a small stool, taking a seat next to his bedside, nodding politely as he began to recall what had happened.

"I escaped to the roof and fought some more robots. That massive zero point robot appeared an-" His voice caught in his throat. How could he have forgotten the most important part of the incident. "Shouji! Is he alright!?"

His voice sounded a little more intense than he would have liked but his memories hit him like a ton of bricks and he distinctly remembered leaping off of a rooftop to rescue the unconscious male. The last thing he remembered was Dark Shadow wrapping around him and then darkness.

"The tall one with the six arms?" Recovery Girl asked, placing her palm on Tokoyami's hand in an attempt to calm him. "He's fine. I used my healing Quirk on his arm and his bruises and sent him on his way after the exam."

Tokoyami breathed a short sigh of relief. It was good to know that Shouji was fine, although had he known about Recovery Girl being on standby, he would have wondered how he would have reacted. Would he have acted differently at all?

"He actually asked me to pass a message on to you," The nurse said, holding out a small piece of paper in her hand. Tokoyami gratefully took the paper from her, placing it by his bedside. He needed to be polite at least and deal with Recovery Girl first. "Now that you're awake, I can start the healing process."

"The healing proces-"

For the second time, he found his words caught dead in his throat as the lips of Recovery Girl suddenly burst forwards, slamming into his arm with the speed of a bullet. They had elongated far beyond a normal mouth should and he quickly felt his face flush with red as he looked away embarrassingly.

"There you go," She smiled, stepping backwards after removing her mouth from his arm. "One kiss and it jump starts the system. Your body will go into overdrive and heal those nasty wounds of yours."

He could already feel the effects of the healing rushing through his body. The pendulum of pain that was his head was suddenly a lot less painful and his mind felt a little bit clearer than it had before. "How long will I need to stay here?" He asked quietly, already beginning to regain feeling in his limbs.

"Another hour or so, I've already contacted your parents so you should be heading home quite soon. You're the most banged up out of all of the kids you know," She laughed, slowly standing up. "But you know what they say. The more banged up you are, the more in the thick of it you happened to be." She took a few steps towards the edge of the bed, turning one last time. "Heroes that need healing are the ones who put themselves in danger. Self-sacrifice, they call it."

And with that she was gone.

Her words stuck with him though. It was as if she was commending him on his actions. Was that a good sign? Did that mean he could be in with a shot at getting into the Hero Course? Had he done enough?

Suddently, his breathing worsened and he felt his body grow heavy again. He laid his head back onto the pillow of the bed, suddenly feeling a lot more tired. Was this a side effect of the healing since it used his stamina to heal. Whatever the case, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep his eyes open any longer and he felt them slide shut, sinking back into a world of dreams, plagued by U.A. letters, a figure falling from a roof and the thud of something hitting the ground.

* * *

When Tokoyami next opened his eyes, that initial discomfort he had felt was gone. There was a dull silence telling him that his head was no longer banged up and as he blinked, taking in his surroundings, he couldn't help but let out a smile. It was dark with only the dull flicker of a lamp hanging from the ceiling to comfort him, just as he liked it.

The dark black covers of his own bed, the dark wooden floor and the fuzzy jet black carpet that sat across the ground, the small desk with his computer, a set of notes and a few textbooks. It was all familiar. He'd woken up in his own bedroom, a far cry from that pristine white hospital bay.

 ** _'You're awake,'_** He heard a familiar voice whisper, similar to his own and yet more crackled. Like it was speaking from a radio or static.

"I am, Dark Shadow," He stated, noticing the curled up form beside him.

The mass of darkness that was his Quirk sat curled up on the side of the bed, nestling in the halflight that the lamp gave off. When not in battle or in training, it was hard to remember that is Quirk had needs of rest as well. And in his bedroom where he was away from prying eyes, Dark Shadow was often at it's most comfortable.

 ** _'You almost died, you know.'_**

Tokoyami did not miss the annoyance conveyed in those words, frowning at the small shadow curled up by his legs, those yellow pinpricks it used as eyes staring right at him. "I did what I had to, as a hero."

Pushing the covers off of himself, he noticed he was dressed in his pajamas that he had been gifted last Christmas. His parents must have changed his clothing when they got back. "I hope I didn't worry them too much."

He hopped off of the bed, Dark Shadow electing to stay where he was curled up. Tokoyami could stay a good distance away from Dark Shadow without any fear or issue and his bedroom was small enough that he could do what he wished while Dark Shadow relaxed. It was a simple system but it worked for the two of them. And after the exam, they had both certainly earned a break.

He plodded over to his computer, clicking the button to boot it up. He wanted to see what was being said about the exams or if anything had been leaked yet online. The recommended students for the Hero Course tended to get leaked in advance compared to those who competed in the exams.

His desktop flickered on, illuminating his face with a pale white light. His eyes scanned the page he had left on, noticing a small notification in the bottom right of his screen. He had apparently left on his chat with AllMightFan1 from earlier in the week. And he could clearly see why there were more notifications on his computer.

He'd missed a few messages.

 **AllMightFan1: Can't wait to head to U.A. Tsuku! Maybe we'll see each other there!**

This was clearly sent that morning as he'd seen it before he'd left for the exam. He didn't have time to reply to it and had resolved to reply once he'd made it back home. But that plan went a little askew.

 **AllMightFan1: Tsuku! I'm really worried! I didn't beat any of the normal robots, I think I might have screwed up!**

That wasn't good. They hadn't beaten any of the training robots meaning they didn't get any points. Could they still make it in without any robot kills? Or was that the end of the line for his friend already?

 **AllMightFan1: Actually, there was one crazy thing that happened. I punched and destroyed one of those 0 Point Robots!**

 ** _'Well isn't that interesting,'_** A voice whispered inside his head. He snapped his head back to see Dark Shadow looming over the computer screen, interested in the messages being sent. _**'We couldn't even stand up to that Robot. Whoever this kid is knocked it out with some punches.'**_

"He certainly seems powerful in that regard. But that brings up the question, why did he not defeat any of the other robots?" It was a valid point. He could take out the biggest threat in the room but a couple of training robots were too much? Something was definitely fishy here.

 **AllMightFan1: There was this girl that had tripped up and she looked really scared. I'd met her that morning and before I knew it I'd leaped at the Robot to rescue her.**

"That sounds remarkably similar to my own situation..." He mused, thinking back to the six armed Shouji who had slipped off of the building.

 ** _'Of course All Might's biggest fan would be all self-sacrificial,'_** His shadow sardonically noted.

 **AllMightFan1: The crazy part was what happened after. After punching the robot, I was seriously banged up but this girl saved me. She has this really cool ability to stop a person's** **gravity!**

 _'Wait, he doesn't mean her, does he?'_ Tokoyami thought, his mind flashing back to when he was outside in the courtyard at U.A. That girl that helped pick up that boy, Midoriya. There couldn't have been anyone else with a Quirk that stopped gravity at the exam, could there?

 _ **'Why don't you message him and find out?'**_ Dark Shadow muttered, a small dark claw pointing to the computer screen. And it was then that Tokoyami noticed a surprising detail. Once again he'd missed out the bigger picture. And this time it was the date. It was a Tuesday when he went into the exam, so why was it that his computer said it was Friday.

"I've been out of commission for three days?" He almost squawked, putting a hand to his mouth in embarrassment. He had the head of a bird, yes, but he would not reduce himself to squawking and hooting. He had standards!

 **AllMightFan1: Tsuku, I hope you're okay. It's been like two days. You're not ignoring me right?**

 **AllMightFan1: Tsuku! Are you there?**

 **AllMightFan1: I see... It was silly to think that I'd have someone to talk to. Sorry to bother you.**

Tokoyami found himself typing out a quick reply faster than he had ever typed before. The last thing he needed was someone being upset with him.

 **Tsukuyomi:** **Hey, I'm not ignoring you! I took a serious fall in the exam and was out of it for a few days! You're not bothering me at all!**

 _ **'Smooth,'**_ Dark Shadow drawled, Tokoyami giving his companion a scowl in annoyance.

He didn't expect a reply straight away. People were busy, but he was surprised to see that his friend had already replied, just as swift as ever.

 **AllMightFan1: Really? I'm so sorry for misjudging you! I just, I'm really nervous because getting into U.A. High School is my dream and I knew you were entering as well and I thought you'd want to talk about it an-**

"This message goes on for quite a while, doesn't it," He stammered. There were at least four paragraphs in that essay that AllMightFan1 had sent him.

 _ **'Hmmm, take a look at the last one,'**_ Dark Shadow pointed out, highlighting the last paragraph on the monitor.

 **AllMightFan1: Seriously, I'm sorry for reading this all wrong. But hopefully we can both still get in to U.A. together! I wish we'd met up though before the exam started. I had no way to recognize you. You probably turned up right on time and got in before I could even find you. I don't even know what you look like, haha.**

"What am I supposed to be reading here?" He asked, turning to his companion who merely pointed a few lines out near the end.

 **AllMightFan1: This is really embarrassing but that girl I told you about, the one who saved me in the exam. She actually helped me out earlier in the morning. I was going to fall over and she caught me.**

' _Wait a minute,'_ He thought, reading this over.

 **AllMightFan1: Well, she wasn't the only one. This other guy caught my backpack after I'd dropped it. They were both super kind. And that guy, he was so cool looking, he even walked with me to the exam room! I'm hoping he gets in!**

"You're telling me that AllMightFan1 is actually-"

 _ **'Izuku Midoriya, that kid you helped out, yeah.'**_

 **Tsukuyomi: That's great to hear, I'll let you know on my end if I get accepted.**

He quickly span away from the computer, refusing to look at the screen any more. His face was a bright red and he could feel Dark Shadow laughing at his embarrassment. He was cool looking? He hadn't thought that walking in at all. Was he really cool? And how crazy was it that out of all the people he could have helped out, it happened to be Midoriya.

 _ **'You're not going to tell him who you are?'**_ Dark Shadow enquired, a sly smile forming in that darkness.

"No way!" Tokoyami spluttered out. "That would be extremely embarrassing!"

In reality, the real reason why Tokoyami would not confirm his identity wasn't out of embarrassment or the sundry. It was actually because he wasn't used to actually knowing a person. The majority of his life had seen him ostracized and home-schooled as his Quirk was too dangerous to other kids when he was younger. He had no experience with real friendship.

That didn't mean he was incapable of being social. He'd shown he could put on a pretty good facade to Midoriya back at the exam, but the entire concept of a friendship was something that kept him paralyzed with worry. Would he be judged because of his appearance, because of his weird Quirk or his upbringing? These were thoughts that always stuck at the back of his mind.

 _ **'You're not as weird as you make yourself out to be,"**_ Dark Shadow stated, retreating back into his body for a longer rest. **_'Have a little faith in yourself.'_**

* * *

The next few days were spent in anticipation for Tokoyami. After his fairly one-sided chat with AllMightFan1, who he now knew was Midoriya, he had explained to his family exactly what had happened during the exam.

His mother had expressed her concerns against the occupation of Heroes for a while, being a heavy advocate for proper safety procedures at Hero Training Schools. She wasn't expressly angered by Tokoyami's desire to become a Hero but she certainly made no effort to hide her concerns. Especially after his three day nap.

His father, on the other hand, was a lot more understanding about his goal. He had been the one to hire his Teacher a few years ago and was in quite fit shape himself. Had he made a different choice after going to high school, there was a chance his father could have been a famous Hero.

Sure, there was a chance that his father was living somewhat vicariously through Tokoyami, but that was something that the young boy had never been too bothered by. As long as his father kept supporting him from the sidelines, it was all good in his eyes.

Ultimately, they couldn't stop him from going for his dreams. Going to U.A. High School didn't cost them any money as the heroes that were accepted got through on a scholarship with their deeds at the academy earning the school the funds needed to continue running. So really, it was all down to whether the school would accept him or not.

And on the Tuesday, exactly one week from the exam, he got his answer.

"Fumikage! It's here!" His mother called out.

He could see the nervous look in her eyes as she came into his room, holding the envelope. It was a simple letter signed with a wax seal of the school. Time seemed to slow as he took the envelope from his mother's hand, placing it on his desk.

"I'd appreciate if I could read it alone," He nervously stammered, his mother nodding shakily as she turned to leave the room.

"Oh, I almost forgot," She nervously squeaked, pulling out a small piece of paper. "This was on your bedside at the hospital."

He recognized it immediately, it was Shouji's letter that he had yet to read. His mother, with a worried smile, placed the second letter on his desk before shuffling out of the room and shutting the door quietly.

With that, he was alone, save for one.

 ** _'Which one are you opening first?'_** Dark Shadow asked, forming behind him.

"I think I'll read Shouji's first. I was meant to read it last week, it'd be rude not to check it out now," He explained, his Quirk nodding in agreement.

He turned over the piece of paper and began to read the note that Shouji had written down -

 **"Fumikage Tokoyami, I know that when you read this note I won't be around. I'll have already left U.A. and headed home. But this is important."**

Tokoyami took a few moments, hesitating for a second as his thoughts began to dwell on the entrance exam once more.

 **"I wanted to thank you. Without you risking your life to save me, we would both have been crushed by that machine. I found out just after the exam ended that we were extremely close to becoming casualties ourselves and that your instincts and your Quirk had shielded us from the majority of the damage."**

Tokoyami turned to look at Dark Shadow, who was looking away, feeling it's own bit of embarrassment for once. Compliments seemed to be a massive weakness for the both of them.

 **"You could have left me and saved yourself but you didn't. That's the mark of a real Hero. And if you don't get into U.A. something is very wrong with their system. So you make sure you get into U.A. High School and I'll make sure to do the same! Sincerely Mezou Shouji."**

 _ **"He seems pretty passionate."**_

 _'Make sure you get into U.A. High School.'_ Those words, they shouldn't have affected him deep down as much as they did, but seeing that someone else, someone he had barely met, was supporting his dream. That made two. Midoriya and Shouji. Two people that, for all intents and purposes, he should never had met. And yet both of them were wishing for his success.

And as he turned to the other envelope, it was clear that his success would lie in whatever words were contained there.

"This is it," He stated to Dark Shadow, picking up the envelope and slipping it open. He pulled out a slip of paper and a small device that he recognized as a hologram projector. Turning the paper around, it only had a few words on it. **"Use the projector."** Taking a quick look at the small disc, he clicked the button in the center and it began to glow.

"I am here as a projection!" A loud voice boomed, his eyes darting upwards to where the projection had formed. And there, looking at him from the make shift screen, a large muscular man in a bright yellow suit with massive blonde eyebrows and hair stood, a massive smile on his face. The Number One Hero, All Might! His Quirk unknown, but his power legendary. Everybody wished to be like him in some way.

"Young Tokoyami, your points on the written exam sent in with your application were average. You have a grasp on what your powers and limits are but you lack conviction! Something to fight for! Or maybe someone to fight for!"

Tokoyami cringed. This was what his teacher had already told him. This was stuff that he already knew he needed to work on.

"Your practical exam, however, showed immense potential! You were able to defeat quite the handful of robots and you amassed a total of 47 villain points! In fact, you were the fifth highest scoring applicant in that category."

Had he heard All Might right? The fifth highest scoring applicant in that category? The fifth highest scoring out of thousands of students? How on earth?

"But that is not all there is to the exam. The exam is not only scored through Villain points but through what is known as Rescue points! These are given out to individuals who's heroism clearly shone through, by a panel of judges."

And as he said this, All Might turned to a screen behind him, which lit up revealing-

"Ten Rescue Points!" All Might announced. "You were reckless. You jumped into battle when all else failed and you almost got yourself and your Quirk killed from rescuing Young Shouji."

He looked away, his hands clenched in frustrating. He knew he'd be docked points for the reckless rescue as he'd put himself in harms way rather than rescued the both of them, but damn if it wasn't aggravating.

"Normally, Ten Rescue Points is not all that surprising. But while five of our judges found your actions to be reckless, there was one who felt your actions were as heroic as can be." All Might turned, reaching out his hand to pull something in. "Introducing Airdriver!"

Tokoyami's eyes lit up. That man, how? Airdriver, the Cyclone Force. With his Quirk, Cyclone, he was able to control wind currents with ease and on top of that...

"Teacher!" He called out, standing up in surprise, Dark Shadow also moving alongside him, now fully invested in whatever was going on.

"Fumikage, I know you are watching this. All Might said earlier that you lacked conviction. That is mostly true," He explained before pointing at the screen behind the two Heroes. "However, saving Shouji's life. Had you not had the conviction to act, you would most certainly have failed this exam. But you did what you had to do, at the cost of your own safety, to help another. Self-sacrifice is a force that can make or break a Hero."

Airdriver turned back to Tokoyami, a proud smile on his lips. "And today it has made you."

 _ **'Does he mean what I think he means?'**_ Dark Shadow asked.

Tokoyami was too stunned to speak. This turn of events, what had just happened. Could this really be happening?

All Might stepped forwards once more, taking center stage before saying, "Fumikage Tokoyami, a total of 57 points, in ninth place in our entrance exam, you **pass**!"

"W-what?" He stuttered, doing a double take as his results appeared on the screen. This couldn't be real could it?

But there it was. Ten names listed as the top ten and he could clearly see his name at number nine. Bakugou had made it to number one with no Rescue points and there at number seven, as if the complete opposite, Midoriya sat with 60 Rescue Points. And there he was in the same league as these applicants.

"I can't believe it," he muttered, too lost for words, feeling a few small tears forming on the corners of his eyes.

 **"Believe it Young Tokoyami,"** All Might shouted. " **For it is time** **to** **begin your Hero Academia!"**

* * *

 **A/N - I hope that ending to the chapter wasn't too cheesy. I imagine everyone who passed got these holo-messages from All Might and it would so be like him to tailor each message to each person. So of course I just had to chuck in Tokoyami's teacher in my headcanon - Airdriver, the Cyclone Force!**

 **And I finally got the chance to get Dark Shadow speaking! Finally! It's taken me like four chapters, but we got there.**

 **Next chapter we'll be time skipping to the first day at U.A. High School. So I'll see you then! Make sure to leave a review!**


	5. First Day at UA High! Class 1-A!

**Chapter 5 - First Day at U.A. High! Class 1-A!**

Three weeks had passed since the U.A. High School had sent out their letters of acceptance to a lucky group of thirty-six students, just in time to start up the spring semester. Each of the chosen Heroes had just under a month to prepare for their brand new high school life and for all the kids going to high school in Japan, it was a big change.

Many people find the switch between Middle School and High School useful in changing their image. Using the experience as a fresh start to reinvent themselves as they saw fit. It marked such a big change in their lives, gaining more independence and being treated more seriously than ever before. Classes would get tougher, exams would weigh heavily on their minds, they would have to seriously start considering their futures.

For Tokoyami, however, this period was not just a switch or a change. It was a beginning. Having been home-schooled for a large portion of his life, he had never actually experienced going to an actual school. And he was fortunate enough to have his first experience be at the most prestigious academy in the country. It would be a chance for him to make new friends and explore avenues that he had not had the chance to go down.

And one thing had shaped his thoughts in particular over the last few weeks. It was something that Midoriya had written down in his long apology message the Friday before they had gotten their results and something about it seemed to click with Tokoyami.

 **"And that guy! He was so cool looking!"**

That had been the basis for his High School persona, so to speak. That cool and calm demeanor that he had given off when helping Midoriya on that first day, that was something he could get used to. His Hero costume that he ordered certainly fit the bill with the dark billowing cloak that cut off all light from beneath the cloth. Some would even call it edgy to an extent.

Being a Hero in the modern age was more than just having the right morals or ideals. A part of it was the look, the fashion, the reputation and overall how you're perceived by the public. And if being cool and mysterious was something he could use to his advantage while doing his work, he'd make it work.

 ** _"Next they'll think you're some emo kid listening to My Chemical Romance on repeat,"_** Dark Shadow hissed, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Tokoyami gave him a stern look, shaking his head slightly at his companion's antics. That was the last thing he needed on his first day at U.A.

"You are not to come out unless given specific instructions, understand," He calmly told his shadow. Although there was an element of severity hidden just under the surface of his words. Quirks could only be used under specific circumstances, even at the school, and he did not wish to get himself in trouble or expelled just because Dark Shadow was getting a little antsy.

 _ **"Aye aye,"**_ The Shadow grumbled before slipping to the ground.

After a few moments, he felt Dark Shadow dissipate inside his body and he found himself feeling oddly calm about what was to come. Grabbing a dark black backpack from the corner of his room and checking his computer for any notifications, he quickly slipped on his new school uniform, fitting his shirt over his red choker and slipping on the bright red tie that matched the rest of his ensemble.

"You look wonderful, Fumikage," His mother said, looking at him from the doorway, a smile on her face.

"Thank you mother," He replied, looking away hastily. Cool and edgy. But maybe not at home.

"You know I'm against your enrollment at U.A. I'm concerned for your safety," She explained, turning away from the bedroom. "But it's not my life. It's yours. You make the choices and if this is what you want, who am I to stop you."

"You don't need to worry mother. I'll be fine," He said, making his way to the bedroom door. "U.A. is the top school in the country. If I'm not safe there, I'm not safe anywhere."

Tokoyami's mother's smile lowered a bit, as if she was deep in thought. She turned to him, as if she wanted to say something, but her only words were, "Well, we can't have you being late for your first day."

Whatever she had been about to say was lost to the wind as Tokoyami bid his parents goodbye for the morning and set off to where his new High School life would begin! Heading outside, he quickly picked up his bike and set off.

 _ **"What do you think she wanted to say?"**_ Dark Shadow asked as they biked out of the countryside and into the main town.

"Probably something about my safety," He guessed, stopping his bike as a red light appeared on the streetlights. "I wish she would stop worrying about me," He admitted.

 _ **"Her only son leaving for a High School to train to be a Hero where you could easily die on the job,"**_ Dark Shadow stated, his words echoing in Tokoyami's head as he continued to bike on down the street. **_"Gee, I wonder why she's so nervous."_**

"I know why she's nervous, Dark Shadow," He snapped. "I just wish she'd have a bit more faith in my abilities."

 _ **"I know this is going to sound rich coming from me, but your abilities are a demonic shadow living inside of you. You don't exactly inspire confidence."**_

Tokoyami sighed, pushing the doubts that Dark Shadow was sending his way out of his mind. Today was certainly not the day where he needed to be plagued by his inner turmoil. And certainly not have it instigated by his own Quirk of all things.

Today would be a day to remember, the day he started his dream High School Life and his first step to becoming a Hero!

* * *

"Class 1-A," He muttered, walking down one of the large corridors of U.A. High School. Tokoyami had arrived quickly after biking through the city and had been greeted in the Main Lobby of the school by a receptionist that was working there. She said she was looking out for all of the new students and she'd handed him a timetable and other information before sending him on his way.

Only the school was like a maze. The timetable said nothing about what floor their classroom was on or anything of the sort. Just that he was meant to be at Class 1-A. He had already gone up the stairwell three times checking three separate floors before finding the room he was after.

"Class 1-A, huh," He muttered, looking at the absolutely massive door that stretched out to the ceiling before him. The school was certainly accommodating to all kinds of Quirks of all shapes and sizes.

As he reached for the door handle, he felt himself pause, taking in a deep breath as he clenched the handle. This was it. This was a new beginning.

So he was extremely surprised when he finally slid open the door to see that nobody else had even turned up yet. Had he been late? No, that was impossible, the class looked immaculate, like nobody had even been in there yet. The desks were all lined up in rows, chairs evenly spaced out.

Everything about the room screamed that he was the first person to arrive.

"Just my luck," He groaned, stepping inside before sliding the door shut. Glancing down at his watch, he was surprised to see that he was over thirty minutes early. Had he really been in that much of a hurry to get here?

He decided that, seeing as he was the first person to arrive, that he'd grab a desk before others started to show up. Four columns and five rows. He was home schooled so sitting right by the front would be a bit too personal for his tastes. He'd rather be near the back. Perhaps not too far back though, he didn't want people thinking he was a loner.

He walked over to the third column of desks and took the second seat from the back, placing his bag down underneath the desk. Now it was just a waiting game to see just who would come through the door. He only knew that Bakugou and Midoriya had passed. He hadn't recognized the other names on the list of the Top 10 that had been given to him through the hologram.

For all he knew they could be completely random people or someone he'd seen that day. That girl, the one who helped out Midoriya, he still didn't know her name. Was she on that list?

"Is anyone in there?" A voice called out, startling him.

Through the door, a group of students walked in. Two girls and a boy.

The first girl was rather tall, with dark black hair styled into a rather spiky ponytail. She had black eyes and a very mature look on her face, like she was older than she was meant to be. As she met his gaze, a small smile flickered across her lips and she raised her hand in a greeting, "Hello there, I'm Yaoyorozu Momo."

"Fumikage Tokoyami," He replied, giving her a curt nod.

As she strode past him to the desk closest to the window in the right corner, he turned to the other two students that had walked in.

The boy walked past him without a word, settling himself in at the desk behind him. Tokoyami could already feel that this guy was quite guarded. There was something seriously intimidating about him. And it wasn't just the fact that he had white and red hair that was split into two sides of his body or that he had two different coloured eyes, his left being blue, the right being gray. No, his entire gaze was stern, like he was miles ahead of everyone else he came across.

"And your name?" He asked, wanting to at least get an answer out of the boy.

"Shouto Todoroki," The other stated coldly.

 _'Todoroki? That name... Why does it ring a bell?'_ Ignoring his thoughts for now, he turned away from the boy, who clearly was not interested in chatting any further, to the other girl who had placed herself near the front of the class.

She turned around to look at him, giving him the faintest smile she could. She had dark purple hair and a pair of asymmetric bangs that went down to neck level. She was just a bit shorter than him, which he was grateful for. Being the shortest in the class wouldn't help him at all.

It was then that he noticed her ears. They weren't ordinary ears at all, they had... were those earphone jacks?

"You noticed, huh?" She said, flicking one of the jacks with her finger. "I'm like a walking stereo. I can plug these bad boys into whatever I want and cause loud noises," She explained. The Earphone Jack Quirk must be a pretty powerful sound based Quirk if she could plug into any stereo or device she wanted. "What's your Quirk?"

"My Quirk? I'm afraid it's not something I can just explain," He admitted. The last time he told someone he had a demon living inside of him... Yeah, that didn't end well for his friendships in the long term.

"It can't be that bad," The girl stated. "Oh, I almost forgot, I'm Kyouka Jirou."

"Trust me, it's not for the faint of heart," He smirked. It was weird hearing people take an interest in his Quirk at all.

"Try me," She said, poker-face at the ready. She wanted to see his Quirk so bad, who was he to deny a classmate on the first day.

"Alright then, Dark Shadow, **come out** ," He stated.

There was a pause, Jirou giving him a confused look when suddenly Dark Shadow's claws sprouted out from his back before he emerged into the open air.

He could see the boy behind him looking surprised out of the corner of his eye and with a satisfied smirk, he allowed Dark Shadow to curl around to rest on the desk.

"This is my Quirk, Dark Shadow," He explained, motioning to the shadow form that had now taken up residence on his desk. "It lives inside of me and I can use it to fight. Like an extension of my own abilities."

"Cool, you've got style Tokoyami," Jirou replied.

"And your Quirk certainly leaves an impression," Momo stated.

"What about you? What's your Quirk?" He asked her.

Momo put a hand to her chin in thought, or at least that was what he was expecting, when suddenly her hand lit up and she began to pull something out from her own body. Suddenly, in her hand sat a small russian doll.

"You seem surprised," She laughed, Tokoyami quickly looking away embarrassed. "My Quirk is called Creation. I can create objects from my body using my body fat at a molecular level. As long as I know the make-up of an object, I can recreate it." She frowned though, pulling out a small energy bar from her pocket. "But I need to keep my food intake up if I want to keep using the Quirk effectively otherwise I'll look like one of those American models who are like really underweight."

"As to be expected of a student who got in through recommendations," Another voice stated. The group turned to the door, seeing another pair walk through the door. The first, whom they could see, stepped through the door.

And boy did he look like a private school kid. His entire look screamed posh and proper. Tall, broad, a pair of proper regulated glasses. He remembered this guy from the Entrance Exam as the guy who interrupted Present Mic. "Tenya Iida, pleased to make your acquaintances!"

Without warning, Dark Shadow dissipated, likely surprised by the new people to enter. Iida, now in the class, looked around at the four who were already there in surprise.

"It seems I was not early enough. You are the better students, I admit." The way this guy talked, he was intense about school and the rules, Tokoyami could already tell.

"Iida, it seems you are blocking the entrance, that other boy is trying to get in," Momo pointed out.

That was when Tokoyami took note of the other person who had walked in with Iida. And when he met those black eyes and saw that familiar white hair and cyan face mask, whatever he was going to say caught in his throat. He was too surprised to even speak.

"I apologize Shouji, I did not mean to impede you in any way," Iida announced, the other boy merely shrugging off his apology.

"It's not a problem, really." It sounded like Shouji had been dealing with Iida's oddities from the moment they'd arrived as by the time Iida moved to sit down, he noticed Shouji sigh with relief.

The six-armed boy moved towards the desk to Tokoyami's immediate left, on the rightmost side of the room and took his seat, placing his own small brown bag under his desk. While the others seemed busy chatting with Iida and a few other boys who had just enterered the room, a red haired guy and a yellow haired guy with black streaks, Shouji turned to face Tokoyami.

"It's good to see you Tokoyami," Shouji admitted, one of his arms forming into a small smile.

"I could say the same, perhaps it's fate that brought us together again," He mused, leaning forwards onto his desk to rest his head on his arms. They had over twenty minutes to kill, he could afford to laze about slightly, ignoring the concerned voice of Iida who felt his actions were rude.

"Had you not saved me, neither of us would be here my friend."

"And had you not saved me from my failed momentum, things could have gone very differently."

They both looked at each other once more and for the first time in his life, Tokoyami felt extremely comfortable just sitting there talking with Shouji. Perhaps it was his lack of experiences in the social field, but this was definitely the start of a friendship, he could feel it.

"You know, I never got to thank you in person, so thank you," Shouji said once more. "I know this is sudden, but I was wondering if you would like to be friends."

Well that was blunt. Was this how people normally made friends at school? "I didn't realize it was something that needed to be asked."

"It isn't," Shouji replied, looking away for a moment. "I actually may have looked you up online on my parent's computer. And you weren't registered to any Middle Schools."

"You looked me up?" Tokoyami asked, brow raised in confusion.

Shouji must have realized how it sounded as he began to splutter out excuses, "I didn't mean it like that! It was not like I was trying to figure out more about you or anything but..." Tokoyami gave him a stern look and he turned his head to the desk. "I just wanted to find you and thank you. I wasn't sure if we'd both make it here and I don't like not being able to thank those that help me."

"Let me guess," Tokoyami mused, bringing his voice down to a whisper. "You know I never attended a Middle School, right?"

Shouji nodded.

"And that's why I asked to be your friend. You've never had that experience before of friendship at school. I thought I might as well make your first friendship memorable... That is, if you say yes."

"Why do I feel like I'm making a deal with the devil," He groaned, stretching his hand out. "Shake on it?"

"You've got yourself a deal, Tokoyami," Shouji laughed, sticking out his main right arm.

The two met each other halfway and clasped hands, Tokoyami suddenly feeling something he hadn't expected. Was it happiness or something more extreme? He wasn't exactly sure. But what he did know was that he wanted to be friends with the other boy and Shouji had only shown him a kindness that he wasn't entirely used to.

And so they shook hands.

* * *

The two had settled into chatter about their Quirks, the potential curriculum and other High School based stuff while the rest of the class arrived. But Tokoyami kept his eye out on the door. After seeing Bakugou walk into the room, he was almost certain that a certain someone would be following soon enough. Shouji had taken note of his eyes on the door but had said he'd rather not know at that point.

And it was only a few minutes before class began that he noticed the door open and a familiar figure took his first steps into Class 1-A.

Izuku Midoriya seemed to be stunned into silence as his eyes had gone directly to Bakugou and Iida having a confrontation near the front of the class. The young boy suddenly fell prey to Iida's introduction but was able to shut him up quite quickly as Iida began to talk about the Entrance Exam.

One look at Midoriya told him everything he needed to know. The curly haired boy was absolutely terrified and probably felt like he was walking into the Dragon's Den or something along those lines.

"Oh, that curly hair! You're the plain-looking one!" Another familiar voice called out.

 _ **"If you believed in fate before, I'd say you should be worshiping it now**_ ** _,"_** Dark Shadow whispered in his head as the young brown haired girl from the morning of the Exam strolled into the classroom.

"How on earth-" He muttered under his breath. It was as if everyone relevant that he had come into contact with during the exam had ended up here.

Midoriya, Shouji, Bakugou, the brown haired girl, and all in Class 1-A as well? What on earth was going on with fate to deal him such a fortunate hand like this?

"What's up?" He heard Shouji ask, but he didn't reply.

And that was when they noticed the figure standing by the door. Apparently Iida, Midoriya and the brown haired girl had already seen this guy before the rest but now everyone could see the tall skinny figure of a rather washed up looking man walking through the door. His black hair went down past his shoulders and his eyes were almost fully bloodshot. He had a rough untrimmed beard and overall he looked like he'd just walked in from a week in the wild.

"I'm your homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa," The man stated and before they knew it, their worlds had changed yet again. "Nice to meet you."

The class took a moment to register the fact that this fairly washed up guy was apparently their new teacher, before Tokoyami noticed the guy reaching into a massive yellow sleeping bag that he'd carried with him. Inside it was a U.A. sports suit. "It's kind of sudden, but put this on and go out onto the field."

The man turned away from the class, walking back outside. "Changing rooms are down the stairs on the ground floor, meet me on the field in fifteen minutes. Anybody who is late will find themselves expelled, do you understand."

And that was how Tokoyami's first day at U.A. started, with the threat of expulsion, a large string of coincidences and a new friend. But it was only just beginning for Class 1-A, for Tokoyami and Shouji and for all of U.A.

* * *

 **A/N - Not as long as the last chapter, but this one was more of a setup. I'm writing Shouji as quite a sympathetic character who doesn't always have the most tact. Since he holds no value for material possessions, he uses his parent's computer to do research so that's fun.**

 **Tokoyami and Deku haven't had any time to interact yet but next chapter should be a fun one. Also I tried to keep everyone's class desks canon but I had to move Shouji and Mineta around to make it work (It's Mineta, I don't think anybody will complain about this one).**

 **Next chapter, Aizawa's fitness tests, the end of their first day at U.A. and I'm probably going to add Tokoyami and Shouji to Midoriya's friend group. I imagine I can make it work pretty well.**


	6. Friendships Abound! Aizawa's Rules!

**Chapter 6 - Friendships Abound! Aizawa's Rules!**

U.A. High School was certainly a unique institute when it came to training it's Heroes for their futures defending the peace. Whether it be how they accepted you into the school with a massive exam or how the teaching schedules were never quite the same as an average school, or perhaps how teachers were able to run their classes as they saw fit, defying the conventions of normal educational standards.

Whatever the case, Tokoyami, as well as the rest of Class 1-A, were finding out just how tough these changes would be.

The majority of the class had been preparing for an orientation or a speech from the headmaster about how they were about to enter U.A. Academy and to give it their all. So when Aizawa Shouta, their new homeroom teacher, sprang on to them that they were going straight to the field to work, it had all been a bit jarring.

Tokoyami sat in the men's changing room, slipping on the sports uniform that they had been told to wear. He wasn't surprised to see that everyone had their own personal costumes tailored to their own body shapes and sizes. As expected of U.A. to ensure that they were never left without the right equipment to learn.

He quickly slipped on his trainers, looking around the room before realizing he was apparently the only one left. Even Shouji seemed to have already left the room, the thought of expulsion probably spurring most of the class into being at the field on time.

But Tokoyami had looked at the clock. He had over seven minutes before they were told to meet the teacher and while he certainly wasn't planning on being late for his first lesson, there was no reason to simply rush on over for no reason at all.

"Hey, where did everybody go?" He heard a voice call out from behind him.

He swiveled around where he was sitting to see the familiar short form of Izuku Midoriya pop his head out from the side of one of the room's lockers. The boy looked as confused as he had been when he realized everyone had left already, but Midoriya grinned when he saw him sitting there on the bench.

"It seems everybody already left," He replied, answering the boy's question. "I imagine expulsion can compel even the slowest of people."

"So we're the last two then?" Midoriya asked, placing his bag into a locker before shutting it.

"We should probably get moving as well," Tokoyami said, pushing himself up.

"Right," Midoriya nodded, hopping up alongside him. "It's great to see that you made it into U.A. as well Tokoyami!"

"And you," He replied with a shrug of the shoulders. "I wonder if it's fate that pushed us all together here?"

Midoriya gave him a quizzical look before replying, "I don't know much about fate. But we earned our spots here."

That wasn't exactly what Tokoyami was trying to get at with his words on fate. But if that's the way Midoriya wanted to take it, then so be it. He was just glad to see that the black haired boy was in high spirits, even if he did look extremely nervous.

"I am a little concerned about something though," Midoriya muttered, pausing just before the doors leading outside.

Tokoyami stopped as well, watching as Midoriya's face became lost in thought, before the boy turned, visibly worried. "Midoriya?"

"I have a friend who got into U.A. but I have no idea who they are," Midoriya admitted, downcast.

"How can you have a friend whom you know nothing about?" Tokoyami asked, already knowing the answer. It was not hard to guess where this conversation was going to end up.

"We only talked online before this," The boy replied. And that was all it took for Tokoyami's suspicions to confirmed. "They told me this morning that they'd be at U.A. but I haven't met them yet."

Tokoyami knew he should just tell Midoriya right there and then that it was himself who was the elusive friend online. But something held him back from saying anything. Perhaps it would be better to see if Midoriya could figure it out with a few pointers himself.

"So they could be anyone then?" Tokoyami raised a brow, giving his classmate a weird look, although it was all just a ruse on his end. "They could be someone you've already met."

"That's true. I never told them specifically who I was... I mean, I did tell them about my Entrance Exam so there's a good chance they've figured out who I was," Midoriya murmured to himself, muttering some more words that Tokoyami couldn't hear.

That was when the door behind them opened and a rather flustered looking Shouji walked through, looking very tired. "There you both are! Half the class thought you'd found a way to knock yourselves out or something."

"We still have six minutes left before we even need to be on the field, what's the rush," Tokoyami stated, pointing at a wall clock behind him.

"We just don't want to disappoint Mr. Aizawa on our first day, that's all," Shouji replied, giving the two of them a stern, parental-like glare.

"Can you blame us for being concerned," Another voice called out. From behind Shouji, another girl poked her head through the door. She had bright pink skin and looked sort of like a bug. Her eyes were strikingly dark with only a few small yellow pinpricks to show she was watching them. Two small yellow antennae stuck out from her bright bubblegum pink hair and she had her hands at her hips, as if striking some sort of annoyed pose. "With your reputations, I'm not surprised!"

"Reputations? It's the first day, we barely know each other," Midoriya countered, looking at the bug girl confused.

"Well duh, obviously not like personality-wise or anything. But your Entrance Exam performances is what I mean. Midoriya's Quirk completely wrecked his body in one swing and Tokoyami, rumour's going around that you were out of it for like three days!" The girl exclaimed, waving her hands in the air excitedly. "You both went like above and beyond and you made the Top 10! Of course rumours are gonna spread!"

Tokoyami honestly hadn't even thought about that. Of course their Entrance Exam performances would be used as a basis for their talents! And yet it never occurred to him that anyone aside from Shouji and perhaps Bakugou had known about his injuries. Was this what high school was like, dealing with rumours and trying to keep out of the drama?

"Three days? You were out for three days!" Midoriya looked from the pink girl to Tokoyami with increased fervor. "I broke every bone in my body and I was only out for a few minutes or so!"

"I did dive off of a roof, you know," He groaned. He didn't need to be reminded about his time knocked out. "And it's not like I planned on knocking myself out. I had to save Shouji."

The other two turned to the taller boy who's face was hidden behind the mask, although Tokoyami thought he could see faint pink traces on his cheeks that showed just above the mask. "T-That is correct. He saved my life..." There was a strange silence that settled among the four as the girl and Midoriya processed what had just been said.

After a few moments, it was Midoriya who broke the silence. "So you injured yourself for three days to save someone else's life?"

"And I'd do it again, gladly," Tokoyami replied with increased solidarity. He really believed those words as he said them. Self-sacrifice was certainly something he could embody.

"Anyway, I think it's time we head to class! Mr Aizawa needs to meet us in three minutes," The bubbly girl announced, pushing back through the door. "I'm Mina Ashido by the way, talk to me later kay!"

Shouji gave another look at the two, crossing his arms together. "Well?"

"Shouji, could you give us one minute," Midoriya asked suddenly. The other two turned to him to see his face was deep in thought once more. This kid really liked to think things through, didn't he. "I have something I need to ask Tokoyami. It's private."

The tall student gave the young boy a perplexed look, but if he was going to ask any further, he decided not to and instead turned away. "Catch up quickly, I'll stall Aizawa for a few moments but that's all I can give you."

Tokoyami almost wished he could call Shouji to stay. He had a feeling about what was going to happen and he didn't want to have this conversation now. Running a hand through his feathers, he made to walk for the door himself only to find a hand in his way. Midoriya looked determined, or at least he was trying to seem determined.

"Tokoyami. Can I ask you one question?" He asked, although by the tone of his voice, it was less of a question and more of a statement.

The bird sighed audibly, giving Midoriya a tired look before nodding. Clearly he didn't want to deal with this right before their first lesson but he knew he'd need to deal with this sooner or later.

"You're Tsukuyomi, aren't you!"

And there were the words he didn't want to hear. It wasn't that he wanted to hide himself from Midoriya but talking to someone in person that he'd been in good contact with for months was certainly a jarring prospect. It was like meeting two different personalities and he didn't want to end up making their friendship even more confusing.

"Yes, I am," He finally admitted, letting his eyes drift to the floor.

He was expecting Midoriya to berate him for not telling him sooner or to tell him that he was upset or something. So he was extremely surprised when he felt the other boy crash into him with a hug. "W-What th- Midoriya?!"

"I'm just so happy to have a friend in this school," The other boy laughed, a massive smile on his face. "I figured whoever Tsukuyomi is was probably testing me to figure out who they were and it turned out to be you!?"

"Testing. Yeah, let's go with that," He muttered to himself, awkwardly shoving Midoriya back a bit before covering his face from embarrassment. It was at times like these where he was glad his feathers covered any blushes on his skin. "We really need to go Midoriya, can we talk about this after the lesson?"

"R-Right, of course!" Midoriya stammered.

Tokoyami glanced at the clock, one minute to go. They could make it, they'd just have to run the length of the field to reach their class, no big deal.

"I hope you're ready for some exercise," He announced, pushing open the door to the field. "Because if we don't make it there in time, we're getting expelled!"

"Oh god, you're right," The other boy squealed, pushing out the school door. "C'mon, we have to hurry!"

Tokoyami and Midoriya both sprinted out of the front door, feeling the warmth of the midday sun hit their faces as they hurried down the school steps and out onto the field. They could see their class spread out on the grass near the main track of the field and no sign of their teacher as of yet.

His eyes darted around the field to take in the environment around them as they ran, noticing just how much wildlife there was on campus. Trees were bunched up together to create forests near the back of the buildings, flower beds were set up around the campus, the concrete to grass ratio was actually in favour of the grass for once.

They began to work up a sweat as the closed in on their classmates, Tokoyami brushing his face with his arm to cool himself down, feeling the chilly breeze coming from the mountains washing through the field. It was relaxing and almost reminded him of the forest at home, of his training sessions with his teacher. It was actually quite relaxing.

They finally reached the group who were all in their own little cliques already, waiting for Aizawa to show up. Shouji had apparently been waiting for them, as had the brown haired girl, as they had both seemingly been talking before turning to them.

"Ah! You guys made it!" She grinned. "Am I glad you guys are in my class. You were a big help keeping him from tripping up outside the Entrance Exam!"

"Oh right, you were that girl," He remembered. "The one who could stop a person's gravity, right?"

She nodded with a smile. "The name's Ochako Uraraka! And yours?"

"Fumikage Tokoyami," He said back.

"And what about you? I can't keep calling you the plain boy, can I?" Uraraka said, pointing at Midoriya.

Although it seemed Midoriya was a little bit more hesitant to answer. His face had gone bright red and he looked away awkwardly. Was this the first time he'd even talked to a girl or something?

" **Deku**!" A loud, familiar, angry voice growled, everyone spinning around to see Bakugou stomping towards the group, a fire in his eyes. "Why the hell are you even here?" He growled, spitting towards Midoriya. "You don't even have a Quirk!"

"Actu-" Uraraka was about to reply when her mouth suddenly just stopped moving. Without saying a word, she pointed behind them.

Tokoyami span around, surprised to see the washed-up face of Mr Aizawa staring back at them. "You kids took far too long to quieten down," He drawled before raising his hand and pointing... right at Tokoyami and Midoriya. "You were almost late. Ten more seconds and I would have had you expelled on the spot. Try sticking to the time, it's more logical."

"Sorry Sir," He replied almost mechanically, Midoriya doing the same.

"Sorry won't save you from a bomb that's set to detonate or a villain who wants your blood." Aizawa gave them a look that only a teacher could do to a student, the kind that told them they were in deep trouble if they screwed up again. "Anyway, today class, we'll be doing a Quirk Assessment Test."

"A test?" He heard a few of the boys nearby mutter in surprise.

"But what about the entrance ceremony? The orientation?" Uraraka called out confused.

"If you're going to become a Hero, you don't have time for such leisurely events," Aizawa replied, getting a surprised reaction from the majority of the students. They knew some of the teachers here would be intense, but this was a whole other level. "U.A.'s selling point is how unrestricted its school traditions are. That's also how the teachers run their classes."

He turned his head to look at them, Uraraka recoiling in what could either be seen as fear or nervousness.

"You kids have been doing these tests since junior high, right?" He lifted up a tablet that showed a list of events that every youngster had grown used to. Even as a home-schooled kid, Tokoyami's parents had to add these exercises into his routine to send to the educational department as proof that his education was sufficient. "Physical fitness tests where you weren't allowed to use your Quirks."

Aizawa lowered the tablet, giving each of the students an intense look. "The country still uses averages taken from results from students not using their Quirks. It's not rational. The Ministry of Education isn't trying to change that either."

His eyes drifted through the students until they settled on one.

"Bakugou. You finished at the top of the practical exam, right?" Everyone's eyes shifted, turning their gazes to the blonde who was surprised he was being singled out. "In junior high, what was your best result for the softball throw?"

"67 meters," Bakugou replied quickly. Whatever was about to happen, it seemed he wanted to get to it as soon as possible.

"Then try doing it with your Quirk."

A simple request, but for some this changed the ball game completely. Bakugou pushed forwards, taking a ball from Aizawa and moving over to the large circle on the field. It was the same size as a circle you'd throw a shot put from. "You can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the circle," Aizawa explained. "Hurry up. Give it all you've got."

And give it all, he did. Moments later, Bakugou had pitched the ball and launched it into the air, a bright light flashing as an explosion rocked the field. The ball, propelled by the force of Bakugou's Quirk, flew far down the field, slamming into the ground.

"Know your maximum," Aizawa explained, turning back to the class with his tablet in hand. "This is the most rational way to form the foundation of a hero." And lifting up the device, everyone's eyes widened. In junior high, Bakugou had scored 67 meters. But here, he had scored 705.2 meters.

While Tokoyami was certainly in awe, now he knew just what they were in for and fun was certainly not it. This wasn't a fun game, this was a way to show everyone else what you could do. This was a chance for them to get the class hierarchy going by showing who the strong players were and who the weak links were.

"It looks like fun!" The red haired boy called out.

And it seemed Aizawa was moved in a rather bad way by that statement. His face never changed but his voice deepened. "It looks like fun, huh? You have three years to become a hero. Will you have an attitude like that the whole time?"

This guy was intense. Whoever he was, he was definitely ensuring that they knew what they were signing up for. He had to wonder whether Class 1-B had this intense of a teacher or whether they had gone to orientation like the rest of the school.

"All right," The teacher smiled. Only the smile was crooked, like it was almost challenging them. "Whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential and will be punished with **expulsion**."

 **"What!?"**

The entire atmosphere had suddenly changed. Everyone was now looking at each other with a new look. It was the look of battle. Everyone was suddenly an enemy and nobody wanted to be the person in last place. He had no idea of everyone's Quirks so this could be a lot harder than he could imagine.

His eyes moved from person to person. Bakugou looked fired up and ready to go. His softball throw had probably guaranteed him a spot in the class regardless of what happened. Uraraka looked nervous but he could see a determined look on her face. She was ready to play ball. Shouji appeared initially unphased but Tokoyami could see he was slightly shaken by how his fists were clenched.

But it was Midoriya that concerned Tokoyami the most. He was holding his right hand with his left, looking down at his fist in absolute horror. His Quirk had apparently broken all of his bones in the Entrance Exam, so did that mean that he was unable to use his Quirk without injuring himself? If so, that would make this a living Hell for him.

"Damnit Midoriya, you've got to pull yourself together," He hissed to himself, looking at his internet friend with concern.

"We're free to do what we want about the circumstances of our students," Aizawa stated, a crazed smile upon his face.

 **"Welcome to U.A's Hero Course!"**

* * *

 **A/N - Next chapter will focus on the Quirk test itself. We'll get to see how Tokoyami ends up getting where he is. It's gonna be fun since he and Shouji are right next to each other in the results board in the canon so I can develop a bit of a rivalry there. I'll also be resolving the pen-pal story line somewhat.**

 **Tokoyami is just a little inept when it comes to certain things. Pen pals are one of those things.**

 **Also, while Aizawa's current dialogue is basically line-for-line from the anime, I'm hoping to get into writing his character a bit. I really love Aizawa as a teacher, much more than All Might at least.**


	7. Quirk Assessment Test! School Day Ends!

**Chapter 7 - Quirk Assessment Test! School Day Ends!**

Aizawa had given the class a five minute reprieve before the first event out of the eight that they would do that day, allowing them to think about how they would use their Quirks to better their results and keep themselves from that dreaded last place. Twenty classmates all trying to outdo each other to keep themselves in the school and avoid an overall expulsion.

It was like the setup to some Battle Royale style manga where everyone would end up facing each other. And Tokoyami certainly was ready to give it his all as he sat on the grass, a few paces away from the group, charging Dark Shadow's power up for the events ahead. He could summon Dark Shadow whenever he needed to but if he focused, he'd be able to get an extra surge of power from his Quirk with the right preparation.

 ** _"You'll do fine,"_** His Quirk whispered in his head.

Tokoyami leaned backwards, eyes trailing upwards to the blue skies above him. The sun was extremely radiant and he knew he would need to be extra careful exerting Dark Shadow while doing any outside events. He was weaker in the sun after all and for their first event, the 50-meter dash, he'd need to make sure that he used enough force to push himself forwards without much trouble.

"Are you nervous?" Shouji asked, sidling up on the grass beside him.

Tokoyami snorted, looking over at Aizawa. "I'm ready to go. Mr Aizawa wants to challenge us and put our abilities to the test, to make sure that we know what we're getting ourselves into. I think it's motivating."

He gave a quick glance at Shouji, noting that the guy didn't look very nervous in the slightest. And who could blame him. His Quirk gave him six arms which he could replicate and duplicate into other body parts like his ears, mouth and even face if he really wanted to. His Quirk was built for fitness tests. He wouldn't be surprised if someone Shouji ended up being the top scoring student.

"Let's both give it out all today, I don't want to see one of us get expelled so soon," Shouji stated.

Tokoyami could only really agree. He hardly wanted to be the first person kicked out of the class or be near the bottom. This whole system would determine how well they were perceived by their class and he didn't want to be seen as a weak link. Not when he had so much to prove.

"Although I am concerned for that Midoriya boy," Shouji said, giving Tokoyami the side-eye. "You seem familiar with him. Do you know each other?"

"We were acquaintances online," Tokoyami replied, not bothering to hide the fact now that Midoriya had already figured it out. "Although I didn't realize until after the entrance exam and he didn't realize until a few minutes ago."

"Ah, that was what he wanted you for," Shouji said. "I am still concerned for his Quirk though. From what I recall, it's currently at a point where if he uses it, it breaks his body."

The grim truth about Midoriya's Quirk was probably a hard pill for the boy to swallow and it was even harder for Tokoyami to watch the boy looking utterly terrified. He almost had to wonder if this Quirk test had been designed to point out Midoriya's weakness in his power. Still, Midoriya did knock out a 0 point robot in the exam. If anyone would be able to pull something out, it was him.

"I have faith in his abilities," Tokoyami said, pushing himself up.

He could feel Dark Shadow raring to go as the class began to gather around Aizawa for their first test. They would each go one at a time in pairs down the track and attempt to see if they could outdo the person they were up against. Their overall times would be compared to their times from junior high and that would help determine their improvements.

"Tokoyami, Shouji, you're up first," Aizawa drawled, turning to the two with his arms crossed. "Hurry up. We don't have all day."

 _'I'm against Shouji straight away? This should be interesting.'_

The two students walked over to the start line, Tokoyami on the left, Shouji on the right, both looking straight ahead at the goal furthest ahead. "Do whatever you want to get across the finish line in the fastest time," Aizawa explained. "Attack the student you're racing with and you'll be docked points. Heroes don't attack other Heroes."

Aizawa had turned to look at Bakugou as he said that, the blonde grimacing in return.

"Dark Shadow, launch us to the end," He stated, his Quirk manifesting behind him like a shadowy apparition, the rest of the class, not including those few that had already seen his Quirk, whispering at the site of it.

A quick glance to his right and he could see Shouji readying himself to sprint forwards. His power was in his arms and while he certainly had the muscle strength to move fast, Shouji would not be able to use his Quirk as effectively as Tokoyami could use his.

"Go!"

Tokoyami felt Dark Shadow forcefully slam itself into the ground ahead of him, Tokoyami jumping to launch himself forwards, propelling himself across the field like a missile. As he would lose air, his Dark Shadow would push off of the ground to keep the momentum going and within just a few short moments, the robotic voice of the time recorder said, "4.36 seconds."

Turning, he saw Shouji run past the finish line, a second behind him. That was when he noticed his other arms had converted into make shift legs. It was like he had used his extra arms to speedily crawl his way across to the finish. Not very graceful but it got the job done.

"5.46 seconds," The robotic voice said as Shouji take a moment to breathe.

"Next!" Aizawa shouted out, startling the two who had just finished their runs. They quickly moved off to the side, back onto the grass to watch the rest of the runs play out. As it turned out, Tokoyami's score was one of the faster runs and as more and more of the students finished, he began to realize just how good his first impression was.

 ** _"We've got this test in the bag,"_** Dark Shadow hissed, Tokoyami hushing him down in his head. The last thing he needed was his Quirk getting overconfident. He had his limits and he wasn't about to pass them.

His eyes turned to Midoriya and Bakugou, the last two to run.

As expected, when they began to run, Bakugou let out a shout and explosions began erupting from his hands, propelling him forwards with more momentum than he'd seen from anyone else aside from Iida. He shot past the finish line, "4.13 Seconds," being announced as he landed.

Midoriya arrived a few seconds later, a quaint "7.02 Seconds," being announced as he bent over to catch his breath.

He could see that Aizawa was watching Midoriya like a hawk, never once breaking eye contact with the boy. It was like Midoriya was his prey and he was just being sized up for the attack. "Have you noticed?" He whispered to Shouji.

"He's getting singled out without even being addressed," The taller one replied, eyes on the two.

Suddenly Aizawa's gaze shifted to the rest of the class, Tokoyami and Shouji quickly looking away, hoping they hadn't been noticed. Aizawa was intense and if he caught them staring, there was no doubt they'd be on his bad side for the rest of the day. That was hardly something he wanted to deal with.

"Class, come inside. It's time to test your Grip Strength," He called out, motioning for them to enter the gymnasium building to the right of the track.

The class all got up to head inside, Tokoyami moving back to Midoriya who was lagging behind in the back of the group. "Hey, are you holding up alright?"

Midoriya jumped, surprised to see Tokoyami had even come back to talk to him. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," He nervously stuttered.

 ** _"He's so not fine."_**

 _"Shut up Dark Shadow!"_

"Hey, are you okay Tokoyami, you look a little cross," Midoriya said, pointing straight at him as they entered the gymnasium.

He must have been making an angry face at himself when he scolded his Quirk. That was something he needed to really stop doing. It was necessary and just plain awkward at times. "Sorry. Dark Shadow's just uh... Being a bit mouthy."

"Tokoyami, Midoriya, once again, enough with the chit chat. Grab a grip measure and tell me your results," Aizawa barked, chucking the measuring grips out at the group of students.

Tokoyami took one, wondering how best to go about this. He could grip it as normal and would probably get a fairly good reading. But what he really wanted to do was use Dark Shadow to help boost his power. Instead of bringing Dark Shadow out, he allowed the power of his Quirk to flow through his body, providing him with a boost of power and stamina.

"56?" He heard Midoriya groan from beside him. An unremarkable result.

"540 kilograms? What are you, a gorilla?" He heard another boy, the one who could use tape rollers, exclaim. Taking a look over there, he could see Shouji with all three of his arms clenched down on the grip. "You're more like an octopus!"

"Octopuses are sexy," A rather creepy purple haired kid whispered, the shortest kid in the class. Tokoyami made a mental note to keep as far away from him as possible.

But Shouji's amount was impressive. Of course anything to with his arm strength would be his strong suit. Whereas Tokoyami got more of a full body benefit. Squeezing his own grip, he felt it tighten, beep and as he looked down, he was fairly surprised to see an extremely strong 430 kilograms. Such was the power of a demonic shadow. His form was lanky and he certainly wasn't the strongest without his Quirk, but his Dark Shadow made him an extremely volatile threat.

* * *

"The standing long jump! How far can you leap? Hurry up and get it over with," Aizawa drawled, the group now back on the field.

Bakugou and the naval laser kid were the first to go, both of them clearing the sand pit. Apparently while the robot itself didn't measure how far they went, they were making marks of where they landed. Bakugou, surprisingly, wasn't the furthest as the Naval Laser kid got a faster boost in short bursts.

Midoriya was next and it was honestly hard to watch. He didn't even pass the testing robot. That hurt to watch.

Uraraka made sure to take off the weight of her clothes, being able to jump like she was on the moon, although he thought he could see her face looking a little flushed from pain. Perhaps the more she attempted, the worse she felt afterwards?

Shouji made it past the testing robot but his jump was not exactly spectacular compared to some of the other Quirks.

As Tokoyami stepped up take his turn, he got the chance to watch as Todoroki sliced forwards through the air, using the momentum of the ice he was able to summon from his hands to his advantage, getting ahead of Bakugou.

Tokoyami decided this time to summon Dark Shadow just for a boost, using a similar technique to Todoroki. He only needed the momentum for the first boost as he would be unable to touch the floor once he was in the air as per the rules.

Taking a running start, he slammed forwards into a crouched position before allowing Dark Shadow to emerge for a few moments, slamming into the ground before launching him upwards and into the air.

For a few moments, he was almost lost up there, flying just like a bird of prey above the training ground, the wind ruffling his feathers as he continued forwards until he felt himself slipping downwards to the ground. Getting ready, he hit the ground rolling, looking up to find he had actually gone further then everyone else in the class.

"That was extremely impressive," A flabbergasted Iida stated as he walked back over to the class. "You have a powerful Quirk, Tokoyami!"

"It's not the Quirk," He replied. "It's the person who uses the Quirk that makes the power."

He thought he heard Bakugou snarl at him as he made that remark, moving back over to Shouji, whom had seemingly become his new hang out partner between the events. They were friends, yes, but now he found himself settling into that role a little more comfortably.

The Repeated Sidesteps event had gone fairly badly for the majority of the class. The only ones who excelled were Iida, Mineta, Momo and Bakugou. He had tried to keep himself going but he needed to give Dark Shadow a break and if there was one event he knew he wouldn't have done well in regardless, it was the side steps.

* * *

The group of students felt like the test was going on forever as they all arrived back where they had started for the ball throw. Bakugou had already locked in his score from the demonstration earlier on so now it was everyone else's chance to shine.

But when Uraraka took the first go, tapped her ball and tossed it into the air, nobody was quite expecting for the ball to just keep going... and going... and going.

"I think the ball's gone far enough, right?" The red haired boy groaned.

"To think that such a young girl could throw a ball so far," Iida announced. "Uraraka, you truly are talented!"

"Aw, thanks," Uraraka laughed, looking over at Aizawa who simply lifted his phone. "All right, I got infinity!"

 **"Infinity!?"** A majority of the class gasped.

Tokoyami, as well as a few others, Momo and Todoroki especially, didn't seem all that surprised though. Her Quirk was perfect for keeping an object's momentum and since it was so small it would barely cause her any nausea. Even Shouji seemed slightly startled before Tokoyami took it upon himself to explain her Quirk to him, leading to the taller man blushing with embarrassment at that oversight.

And then Tokoyami noticed who was up next. Midoriya.

"It doesn't look good for Midoriya if he continues like this," Iida murmured, catching the attention of Bakugou, Uraraka and Tokoyami.

"Of course not! He's a Quirkless small fry, you know!" Bakugou growled angrily.

"So you're saying that he just happened to accidentally defeat a 0 point battle robot," Tokoyami sassed, giving Bakugou a disappointed look.

"What are you on about, bird fucker?!" Bakugou growled, turning on him.

But whatever he was about to say suddenly stopped as they all saw Midoriya pull his arm back, a look of grim determination on his face. His teeth were clenched, eyes wide open and he looked ready to give the ball hell. And then he launched it...

"46 meters," The robotic voice of the measurer called out.

Midoriya looked almost sick, confused. Tokoyami saw him look at his hand and then back at the ball. "But I was just trying to use it? What happened?"

Suddenly, Tokoyami felt a small gust of wind come from behind him. He cracked his head back, suddenly alert as he saw what was happening.

Aizawa stood there, one hand on his bandages that were wrapped around his neck, eyes wide open and glistening with a red glow. A pair of yellow goggles sat underneath the shawl on his neck and with a start, Tokoyami realized just who Aizawa was.

"I erased your Quirk," Aizawa stated firmly. "The entrance exam was definitely not rational enough. They accepted a kid like you."

"You erased my Quirk?" Midoriya repeated, dumbfounded. And with a gasp, it seemed he had realized the truth as well. "Those goggles! I see. You can erase other people's Quirks just by looking at them. The Erasure Hero: Eraser Head!"

"Eraser? I don't know him," The yellow haired kid with the black streaks said confused.

"Hmph, of course you haven't," Tokoyami replied. "He's an underground Hero. He doesn't appear in the media as he feels it hinders his work as a Hero."

Eraser Head was a Hero he was very much aware of. His teacher, Airdriver, had often talked about his experiences working with other Heroes and had stated that working with Eraser Head was one of the toughest jobs of his life. Not because of the Villains, but because of just how intimidating Eraser Head could be. He could erase a Quirk just by looking at a person. Take away a person's very individuality in this day and age without a second thought.

And this guy was a teacher at the U.A. Hero Course probably because of his drive to take everything as seriously as possible. This guy wasn't influenced by the media and didn't sugarcoat what they were all learning. This guy was serious and everyone was just now beginning to realize it.

"From what I can tell, you can't control your Quirk, can you?" Aizawa asked plainly. "Do you intend to become incapacitated again and have someone save you?"

"Th-That's not my intention-"

Before Midoriya could even finish speaking, the bindings surrounding their teacher suddenly lurched forwards, wrapping themselves tightly around Midoriya's waist. The class could only watch as the boy was pulled straight towards the teacher and out of earshot of the class.

Whatever Aizawa said next had a significant impact on Midoriya as his face cracked up into a frustrated grimace. From what Tokoyami could see, Midoriya looked angry and it seemed whatever the teacher had said was certainly finding it's mark on him.

The bandages lowered and a low murmur shot up in the class as Aizawa released Midoriya. "I've returned your Quirk," He stated, just loud enough for the whole class to hear. "You have one more chance at the ball throw. Hurry up and get it over with."

As Midoriya walked slowly back to the circle, face ablaze with some sort of inner turmoil, Tokoyami could only look on in silence. It hurt to see Midoriya, someone who he knew from his discussions with him online was extremely passionate about attending U.A. High School, look so downtrodden.

He felt Shouji rest a hand on his shoulder, making him tense up.

"Sorry, you were shaking, I thought you might need the comfort," Shouji grimly replied.

Tokoyami hadn't even realized when he'd started shaking but when his head caught up with his body, he was angry. Angry at his teacher for this stupid test, angry at the other students for no reason whatsoever, angry at himself for being unable to help Midoriya succeed, but mostly he was just angry at how unfair this situation had become. Such was the way of the Hero...

And then they saw Midoriya take his second throw. He leaned his arm back, anger and determination once again crossing his face. He lurched the ball forwards and for a single moment it seemed that his entire hand went into the throw. And that was when he noticed the ball slip slightly downwards.

"What on earth is he doing?" He hissed.

Midoriya seemed like he was going to smash the ball down into the ground. His hand lurched downwards, the ball catching on the tip of one of his fingers. It was about to slip off. And then-

The shockwave that was released as Midoriya smashed the ball into the air caused Tokoyami to be blown off of his feet, stumbling backwards in surprise.

"705.3 meters," The robotic voice of the reader called out.

Tokoyami's eyes widened, as did those of the entire class. Bakugou had scored 705.2 meters, the furthest throw of the group and... "0.1 meters ahead," He whispered.

Suddenly the class went up in cheers, Midoriya proclaimed to Aizawa that he could still move and suddenly the atmosphere had changed. Where it had once been oppressive and uncomfortable, suddenly it was replaced by a feeling of absolute relief. Almost everyone had been hoping for Midoriya to succeed and now he had.

And then as quickly as the relief came, it went, "DEKU!"

The cry of absolute anger came from Bakugou who instantly charged towards the student with a fury that none of the group could have expected. "What is the meaning of this! Tell me what's going on, Deku, you bastard!"

Bakugou certainly didn't get very far as Aizawa's wrappings ripped through the air, slipping themselves around Bakugou's face before freezing in place. "Jeez, don't keep making me use my Quirk over and over," Aizawa growled with a warning. "I have dry eye, you know!" And then the bandages dropped and everyone fell silent. "Next person to go, get moving. We don't have all day, you know."

* * *

The rest of the events came and went, Tokoyami finding his footing in the long distance run and using his good fitness to succeed fairly well in the sit ups and seated toe-touches. But by the time the events came to an end, he was feeling the strain. Eight events one after the other took a lot out of both himself and his classmates apparently. Even the tough ones like Todoroki and Momo were finding it difficult and they got in on recommendations.

The only person who seemed remotely okay was Shouji.

"I visit the gym weekly," He admitted as they walked over to the main side of the field to find out the results. "These arms require much more physical training than some Quirks."

"My Quirk is all about focus and meditation. I can see where we differ in that regard," He replied, Dark Shadow lolling alongside the duo.

 ** _"At least I can keep calm during a meditation session, unlike you who snaps at every little noise you hear,"_** Dark Shadow grumbled from beside them.

Shouji almost jumped a good few paces away when he heard the other voice before realizing exactly what it was. "S-Sorry, I didn't know your Quirk could talk."

"He's a demon that lives inside of me and uses my body as a vessel," Tokoyami explained. "Of course he can talk."

Clearing that up, the group stopped as Aizawa pulled out his trusty tablet. Apparently their results had been collected on there.

"Okay, I'll quickly tell you the results. The total is simply the marks you got from each test. It's a waste of time to explain each result individually so I'll show you all of the results at once."

And then the results flashed up on a holographic screen in front of them. Momo and Todoroki were the top two, an unsurprising result. Bakugo was third and Iida was four- "Wait? Fifth? I got fifth?"

There, sitting on the screen right next to the big number five was Fumikage Tokoyami.

"And I got sixth," Shouji pointed out.

And sure enough, that was also the case. Mezou Shouji, 6th place. How on earth had he beaten Shouji? That was actually insane to think about. Was this the true power of Dark Shadow? Had he seriously made it into the Top 5 Heroes in the class on his first day?

Down at number nine and ten were two names he recognized. Ochako Uraraka and Mina Ashido. The number nine girl was the pink bug lady that he had met earlier in the day and she seemed extremely happy with herself.

Thinking about it, now he could actually match names to faces, this would be helpful for introductions.

And then he naturally turned to the twentieth spot. The person who would be expelled was, "Izuku Midoriya."

"By the way, I was lying about the expulsion."

The ensuing silence as everyone processed that information only lasted for a second before, "It was a rational deception to draw out the upper limits of your Quirks."

The next few minutes were certainly eventful as each of the students began processing his words to varying degrees of surprise. Momo stated that it was fairly obvious that he had been lying while Midoriya, Uraraka and Iida clearly had believed it right from the get-go. Either way, Tokoyami was certain that the teacher had meant to expel one of them at the start of the lesson.

And Midoriya was in last place, which meant the soft ball throw. Somehow that event had changed Aizawa's mind. He wondered if anybody else had picked up on it. Momo had probably missed out on it but he had a feeling that Todoroki probably twigged what was going on. They'd need to have a chat at some point if the guy wasn't so cold around them.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as Tokoyami headed out of the school doors on his own. The rest of the class were either collecting their curriculum or heading off and he wanted to head home for the day. It was stressful and Dark Shadow needed the rest, he could feel it.

He stepped out of the front gate of U.A. Academy to head to the bike rack just down the street where he'd left his bike. His eyes darted across the bikes that were tethered there until- "Oh you have got to be kidding me!"

Where his bike had once been tethered, all that was left was a broken chain and padlock. Had someone really gone and stolen his bike? Was this some sort of crime for being a U.A. Student? "Damnit..."

"Hey Tokoyami, is something wrong?" A familiar voice called out. He shifted, seeing the trio of Iida, Midoriya and Uraraka walking towards them. They looked like a proper trio of friends right there, that had been a quick clique to form.

He nodded his head solemnly, pointing at the spot where his bike had been. "It seems someone has decided to take my bike for a ride."

"Seriously!?" Uraraka grumbled, walking over to examine where the lock had been broken. "That's just not right!"

"Then how are you getting home?" Iida asked curiously. "If you took a bike here, I imagine you don't live near a station or anything of the sort."

"I'll probably be walking," He admitted, groaning inwardly at his luck. First day of school and he had to do the two hour walk home. Great...

Midoriya frowned, "It's a shame you don't live near a station, that's where we're headed."

"I'll be fine, Midoriya," He drawled. "I'll message you when I get home so you know I made it back in one piece."

"Oh right, you guys are pen pals, huh," Uraraka grinned. "That's so adorable! You guys need to add me, I'm **Uravity!** It's what I want to be called when I'm a hero!"

"I'll add you when I get back," Tokoyami smiled. Midoriya on the other hand seemed to be in his own little world. It seemed he wasn't used to getting a girl's username online. "Anyway, I'll be heading off. See you all tomorrow."

Tokoyami walked off back towards the school gates. If he was walking home, it'd be easier to take the path that went around the city to avoid any traffic or other issues that might plague him. Sending a quick text to his mother that he was going to be a bit late home, he set off.

Only to bump into a familiar face as he passed the school gates.

"Oh, Tokoyami, it's you?" Shouji said, surprise tinged in his voice.

"Mhm, nobody else around here with a bird face," He replied smirking.

"Didn't you tell me you were heading home fifteen minutes ago?" The older boy asked.

"My bike got stolen. I have to walk back," He groaned. "Just my luck on my first day."

"Hmmm... I'll walk with you for a bit if you want?" Shouji offered, pointing down the road that led around the city. "I live quite far out and I like to walk wherever I can to keep myself active. If you're going the same way, we could talk?"

The first thing Tokoyami was glad for was company. There was nothing more that he wanted right now than an actual person to talk to. Midoriya, Iida and Uraraka had already headed off to the station and he knew barely anyone else in the school aside from Momo, Ashido, Jirou and Todoroki. And he did need someone to talk to about the crazy first day.

"Why not?" He replied, a smile on his face.

At least his walk home would be pleasant enough.

* * *

 **A/N - I really enjoyed this chapter! I want to sort of flesh out the main friendships for Tokoyami at the moment as well as try and give him some interactions with the class as a whole. Obviously if you've watched the anime, he's gonna get a bit of time with Tsuyu when they do All Might's first lesson so that should be fun.**

 **Hopefully you guys enjoyed and I'll see you next update! Make sure to leave a review!**


	8. Family Troubles! The Nightmares Begin!

**Chapter 8 - Family Troubles! The Nightmares Begin!**

The walk home with Shouji was far more relaxing than Tokoyami could have anticipated as they walked along the winding round that led around their town.

They had taken the long walk around the city's limits as Tokoyami lived just outside the main city in one of the small suburban country homes. Shouji had stated that he lived just by the limits on the city side, so it wasn't much of an issue to walk with him. They had spent the two hours walking, chatting and just getting to know each other a bit better.

He found out the Shouji was a fairly simple guy when it came to his interests. He apparently didn't want for any material items and didn't even have his own computer or phone, by his own volition. Tokoyami was quite the opposite in that sense, preferring all of his individual items he had collected over the years, relying fairly heavily on his technology while at home to keep in touch with his friends and family.

But Shouji had mentioned he was tempted to get a phone now that he was in High School. The students would be busy with their various courses and while the Basic Hero Training classes were fun, they were all aware that they had to do compulsory lessons as well such as English Language, History and Mathematics.

"Although I don't desire a phone, if I were to get one, I wouldn't turn it away," The boy explained. It seemed he was the sort who was very comfortable with the basics. "Plus, I may need to contact someone from class about projects and stuff."

"What about a computer? I keep in contact with Midoriya through an online chat site," Tokoyami explained. The site was pretty standard, you signed in with a username and could enter chats if you were invited by a friend. And with Uraraka sharing her username before they left the school, he was certain a group chat was probably just around the corner. "I know you said your parents have one, what about you?"

"Nope, none. I'm aware that it's not practical in today's society but I always grew up to not expect things," Shouji said wistfully.

Tokoyami felt like there was more to it than that but the two had only known each other for less than a day. There was no need for him to press on asking questions about his personal life, so instead he thought he'd steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Can you tell me a bit more about your Quirk?"

It was a simple enough question. Shouji's Quirk was certainly unique. Six arms and he was able to form other mouths and ears to communicate with people, it was pretty insane.

"You already know the basics of it. I can replicate parts of myself onto my arms to enhance my senses and fight. I can create four different ears that would help me locate certain sounds. I could create more eyes or more mouths to talk. Although my mask I wear is custom fitted to not muffle my voice as I talk."

"I actually wanted to ask about that. Why do you wear a mask?"

Shouji's mask covered the entire lower half of his face. His mouth and below hidden from sight by the cyan cloth, as if containing a secret.

"Perhaps one day I'll tell you," Shouji mused, giving Tokoyami a look that he had since equated to as a smile. "But I'm afraid it's not something I like to talk about to just anyone."

"That's perfectly fine," The bird said.

That was when they had reached the crossroads that separated the main city from the outskirts. It was just a simple crossing where on the left the buildings sprang up as you entered the city, while on the right there were more trees, the grass was greener and less houses were spread out along the road.

"This is where we part ways, it seems," Tokoyami said, turning towards the right road.

"I'll see you tomorrow then Tokoyami," Shouji waved with three of his hands before heading off to the left.

Tokoyami turned away, giving one last wave to his friend before he set off down the road leading out of the town, feeling extremely happy all of a sudden. Perhaps socializing and getting to know his classmates would be easier than he'd thought. Shouji and he and clicked insanely well, he could tell just by how he felt chatting with the guy.

 _ **"He's a watchful one,"**_ Dark Shadow whispered quietly as Tokoyami crossed the main road and quickly took off along the more overgrown pavement that led up to his street. **_"He's got his eyes on you."_**

"Is that a problem, Dark Shadow?" He asked, watching as his Quirk decided to manifest itself, wrapping around his neck like a boa constrictor, just without the choking part.

 ** _"He has a lot of questions about me. And you have a lot of questions about him. This year's going to be fun,"_** Dark Shadow giggled menacingly. Tokoyami could tell he was only being playful though.

Dark Shadow had been with him for as long as he could remember and while they did have their disagreements from time to time, they had also bonded over many years of training and companionship. Dark Shadow certainly would be straight up with him if he felt someone was trying to take advantage and having that outside eye was extremely helpful for Tokoyami.

 ** _"I bet he gives good hugs,"_** Dark Shadow laughed, watching Tokoyami's face suddenly heat up from embarrassment at the prospect. He didn't do physical contact much and hugs were just so... personal and intimate. _"T-That's just uncalled for!"_

 _ **"Well he's got six arms. Six times the hug, am I right?"**_

"Okay, I'm ignoring you," Tokoyami huffed, speaking out loud to make sure he got his point across. Dark Shadow often felt like the annoying older brother he never had, teasing him about anything he could. And this was definitely no exception. "I still have no idea how I'm going to explain to mother that I got my bike stolen," He groaned, mind shifting to his parents.

He'd taken a lot longer to get home so naturally they'd be concerned after his text earlier. His mother would probably assume the worst and already have some stupid search party out to look for him, his dad would probably ignore it all. God, he only hoped they hadn't gone overboard when he'd texted them earlier.

He walked up to his house and pulled out his keys, unlocking the front door. His mother was already at the door to greet him, pulling him into a small hug. He could see she was shaking. "H-Honey, I'm glad you're alright! Your text was so vague, I was worried!"

"I'm fine mother. I had to walk home today, that's all," He explained, heading into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. "Someone stole my bike so I didn't have much choice."

"Someone stole your bike!?" She cried out. Suddenly she was in front of him, gripping his sides and holding him in place. "Did you have your bike chained up? Do you know who stole it? Did you leave your padlock unlocked? How could you lose your bike, we paid good money for it!"

"Yes, no, no and I didn't mean to lose my bike," Tokoyami snapped back, pulling out a bottle of water from his fridge and a glass from the cupboard. "Trust me, I actually liked that bike."

His mother gave a loud sigh before turning away. She was shaking her head and muttering something with him making out the words, "Hero" "Hooligans" and "Dangerous."

"Mother, I'm fine. Look, no scratches, no injuries. I even had a friend to walk most of the way with!"

That made his mother stop talking. "A friend?" She asked, her voice soft.

"Y-Yeah, a friend," He repeated, taking a small sip of his water to wet his drying throat. "His name's Mezou Shouji, he lives just in the city limits so we walked back to the crossroads together."

His mother was biting her lip, as if she wanted to say something but had decided against it before stating, "Fine. As long as you're not walking alone, that's okay."

He inwardly groaned. His mother was so protective it hurt sometimes. He had Dark Shadow to keep an eye on him and it's not like he was walking down some dangerous alleyway or forest path. He was on the pavement walking down a semi-busy road, like most normal humans did.

"Where's Dad?" He finally asked, wanting to get out of the kitchen and away from his mother fast.

His mother seemed a bit annoyed at his blatant attempts to get out of their conversation but she ultimately relented, pointing at the study door. "He's working right now."

"Thanks mother," He replied, walking past her to head over to the study.

"Fumikage, please be more careful," She called out behind him, worry in her voice.

But he didn't listen as he knocked on the door to his dad's study and waited for a reply.

"Come in," He heard his father call out and he quietly slipped open the door with a creak, pushing himself into the office. "Ah, Fumikage. How was your first day at school?"

"It went pretty well. I made a whole group of friends," Tokoyami explained, a small smile crossing his face as he took a seat opposite his dad. Unlike his mother, talking with his father was definitely a lot easier. He would always have time to listen to Tokoyami's stories and hadn't judged him on his need to be a Hero. "We had a Quirk Assessment Test actually."

"Really now? With your Quirks?" His father curiously asked. "I imagine Dark Shadow was very helpful in these tests?"

 ** _"That I was,"_** Dark Shadow stated, materializing once again around Tokoyami's neck.

Unlike most people, his family were completely fine with Dark Shadow being out in the open. His father often had some exciting debates with the demon while his mother was constantly telling Dark Shadow to keep Tokoyami from doing anything reckless. Of course Dark Shadow was actually the weaker of the two when it came to actually choosing to do anything but his job was to keep his host alive. And the pair had bonded since childhood so he didn't mind.

"Were you ranked at all on your scores?" His father asked.

"Mhm, out of the twenty of us in the class, I came in 5th," He announced, Dark Shadow giving a small whoop in celebration.

"Fifth place? My son, that's incredible news! You've come such a long way since you first started your training Fumikage," His old man proudly exclaimed, getting up and striding over to his son before pulling him into a surprise hug. But Tokoyami didn't mind. He was family and it was rare to really get any physical affection from his father, so he'd take what he could get.

 _ **"Hey, I hate to break this moment up but don't you have to message Midoriya like you said you would?"**_ Dark Shadow questioned, Tokoyami's eyes widening in shock.

"I forgot! Right, I'll talk to you later dad," He exclaimed, hopping out of the chair and running from the room to his bedroom, leaving his old man standing in the study with a small smile on his face.

"He's come such a long way," The man laughed, taking a seat back at his desk, looking over at a photo of a young Tokoyami, barely any older than five, looking adorable. His bird head was so out of proportion from his body and a smaller, more youthful looking Dark Shadow was sitting on his lap. "A long way indeed."

* * *

One thing that Tokoyami had neglected to tell anyone was his penchant for insomnia. It wasn't always serious but as he was growing up he would experience many nights were sleep simply eluded him, making it difficult to do his work in the mornings to come. Dark Shadow was ever present during these bouts and they would often talk about whatever they could think of to pass the time, but it was a tough habit to break.

Tokoyami often found it hard to sleep when he felt highly emotional. If he was upset, you could forget it, if he was guilty, say no to that beauty sleep. Negative emotions tended to make life difficult for him so he always spent a good fifteen minutes each night meditating before bed to calm his thoughts. He needed to keep his focus on the positives and block out any negatives.

But there was an ulterior motive here. Sleeping while feeling stressed was a bad idea as it opened the door to nightmares. Dark Shadow was a troublesome Quirk as while his personality was mostly docile, there were times where his influence could be more malicious in intent. And nightmares were often a side effect of Dark Shadow gaining strength.

Only after walking home, getting his messages to Midoriya done, joining a group chat with Iida, Midoriya, Uraraka and a few others from the class like Momo and Ashido, he felt too exhausted to actually meditate and had flopped onto his bed into an uncomfortable sleep state.

And for the first time in quite a while, his nightmares started up anew.

It started out simple. Tokoyami, standing in a field under a blue sky. His newfound friends at U.A. High School were all standing around him, each waving at him with smiles on their faces. It was a positive, upbeat atmosphere until a cloud came across the sun and blotted it out of the sky.

And as the sun vanished and shade was cast on the group, he felt his Dark Shadow suddenly begin to grow. It burst from the seams of his body, covering him in a pure blanket of darkness before widening it's range and encompassing the entire group in it's cold grip.

Suddenly those happy faces turned to terror, expressions of absolute horror appearing on the faces of his classmates. Uraraka was the first to fully sink into the darkness, screaming his name as he tried to reach out for her, to grab her hand and pull her back.

And then he heard Midoriya and Iida both calling out to him. He tried to grab Midoriya, reaching his other hand out towards Iida but the taller boy sank into the darkness. He continued focusing on Midoriya, but the scene that suddenly unfolded before him was more gruesome than anything he'd ever experienced.

Midoriya's skin began to turn white and ashen, as if it was being melted off of the bone. Where skin had once stood, suddenly it was just a pile of bones dropping to the floor and Tokoyami felt himself crawl backwards in absolute disgust, pure white terror seizing him as he scrambled away from the darkness that was enclosing in around him.

He felt something wrap around his waist and looked up to see the familiar form of Mezou Shouji wrapping his arms around him tightly. It was like a hug, blocking out the darkness of his Quirk, wrapping around him to keep him safe.

But just like the rest, there was a sudden cold that wrapped around Tokoyami as Shouji went limp around him, dropping to the ground with a thud. His skin suddenly felt lifeless and cold and Tokoyami could only react by watching in horror as Shouji slowly got sucked into the darkness around them.

And then it was just Tokoyami himself, feeling the darkness eating at him from all angles, slamming into his body with horrific force. It all felt so real, it all felt so painful.

He shot upwards, cold sweat dripping off of his face, terror in his eyes as he reached around fumbling for a switch that he knew was to his right. A small click and he felt the bedside lamp that he had switch on, illuminating his room with a dim pale light.

"Fuck..." He whimpered, not knowing what else to say.

That dream had been much more vivid than his nightmares had ever been before and it terrified him. Seeing all of his new friends taken one by one was something he definitely didn't want to see again. He'd make sure to get his meditation in next time and keep himself calm. He couldn't afford to be tired for his new school life.

But why now? Why had his nightmares suddenly re-emerged in full force? Was it because of the argument with his mother? Was he feeling guilt or hate over the situation?

He decided to head over to his computer, seeing the time was 3:03 AM and switched on the group chat between himself and some of the other students.

 **Tsukuyomi: Anybody else up right now?**

He didn't expect an answer. It was three AM, anybody normal would be asleep, preparing for tomorrow's lesson, so he was surprised when he got a reply.

 **Anima: Uh... I'm here. Hi, why are you up so late?**

He didn't know which student Anima was, but he didn't really care, he just needed someone to vent to.

 **Tsukuyomi: Nightmares, you?**

 **Anima: I'm feeding my rabbits, they're really hungry.**

Ah, now he knew who it was. That tall guy with the rock-like head. Kouda or something along those lines? Apparently the guy was mute and preferred talking in sign language, but he must be quite the talker online.

 **Anima: What kind of nightmares?**

Tsukuyomi: The usual dark emo type nightmares.

 **Anima: Oh, that sounds bad.**

 **Tsukuyomi: Any tips on how to get back to sleep?**

 **Anima: Warm milk?**

 _"Oh my god, that answer was about as innocent as a cinnamon roll,"_ He thought, wondering just how someone as kindhearted as Kouda had made it into the Hero course _._ He had to have killed some robots, right?

 **Tsukuyomi: Uh... thanks. I'll try that.**

He probably wouldn't try that.

 **Anima: I'll see you tomorrow :3**

 _"Emoticons too. Okay, too pure for this world!"_ Tokoyami thought.

Although warm milk actually did sound pretty tempting right then. And so Tokoyami spent the next few minutes drinking warm milk before falling back to sleep into a dreamless dream. It seemed that Kouda's idea had been spot on. He'd have to thank him next time he saw him.

* * *

 **A/N - This was a shorter chapter than most of them since I wanted to sort of separate the school and home life stuff. Tokoyami's not got the best relationship with his parents. His mother's over protective and it clashes with his need for independence and his wanting to find his own goal. They often end up in arguments because of these personality problems.**

 **He gets on well with his dad and is definitely more of a father's boy, but his dad is often working and can rarely make time for him. It's really no wonder that he ended up resorting to internet friends.**

 **Make sure to leave a review! Next chapter's back to school!**


	9. Sleeping on the Job! Costumes Arrive!

**Chapter 9 - Sleeping on the Job! Costumes Arrive!**

"Hey, did you sleep okay last night?" Midoriya asked, poking Tokoyami as they entered the lunch hall.

Tokoyami didn't reply, stifling back a yawn as he went to grab some food from the school cook. In truth, his nightmares had kept him up longer than he would have liked and while Kouda's suggestions certainly helped, it wasn't enough for him to be fully energized for their lessons that morning. He had his parents drive him to school that morning since his bike had been stolen and his mother had given him one of her concerned glances. She knew he'd been awake last night.

The nightmares came and went a lot when he was younger and still learning to harness the power of Dark Shadow. But he'd been nightmare free for a good few years ever since he learned to control his emotions before he slept. Perhaps he'd need to change up his schedule now that he would be more tired when he got home each day.

Taking a bowl of white rice, he plodded over to Midoriya's table where Iida and Uraraka were chattering away in earnest. He plopped himself down next to Midoriya and quietly began to munch on his food, not particularly interested in really eating. Midoriya frowned at him, tapping him on the shoulder before once again asking, "Tokoyami, did you sleep okay? You look really tired."

"You saw the group chat, didn't you," He grumbled through a mouth of rice.

"Nightmares right? Do you get them often?" Uraraka interrupted, having finished whatever talk she was having with Iida. She had this great big smile on her face and looked far too jovial for the subject matter.

Tokoyami shook his head, "I haven't had them for a few years now."

"Perhaps you should consider changing up your daily routine," Iida suggested, pen and paper in hand. "I can come up with the perfect fitness programme for you."

"I'll pass." Tokoyami pushed the white rice away and decided to rest his head in his arms.

"Hey, uh, is he alright?" Someone asked. He recognized that voice. It seemed he'd attracted the attention of the so-called class clown, Denki Kaminari. "He looks kinda, y'know, out of it."

Tokoyami looked up through his arms, meeting the eyes of the sandy blonde haired boy, causing the other to flinch backwards in surprise. "I'm fine," He hissed at Kaminari. "Thank you for your concern."

"Tokoyami, I fear your words do not seem to match your tone of voice. Are you sure you are okay?" Iida asked, oblivious as ever. He was about to snap at the taller boy when Midoriya jumped in.

"Iida, he's tired and needs a few minutes of rest. Leave him be." Midoriya was definitely a true friend after that.

He allowed his eyes to drift shut for a minute, muttering to Midoriya, "Wake me up before class starts," before drifting off into rest. It wasn't a deep sleep or anything, more like the sort of sleep where you rest but you're still faintly aware of what's going on around you.

 _ **"You look tired,**_ _ **"**_ Dark Shadow said, his voice echoing in Tokoyami's head.

 _"No thanks to you,"_ Tokoyami groaned inwardly. _"Why are you giving me nightmares again?"_

 ** _"I only influence your own feelings. If you're having nightmares, it's because you're feeling something negative,"_ **His Quirk huffed, as if appalled by his words.

 _"You know that's not true. You just like being drunk with power and you drag me down with you every time!"_

 **"You need me Fumikage."**

He knew that was the case. He knew that their companionship as Quirk and Master was beneficial for both ends, but Dark Shadow's side effects were draining. When he was younger, he looked up to his inner self, seeing a creature that was learning just that little bit faster than he. Even know, he knew that Dark Shadow was constantly learning, figuring out new ways to both ensnare and manipulate Tokoyami.

The Big Brother indeed...

"Hey, is Tokoyami alright?" A voice asked, piercing into his subconscious.

"He's fine Shouji, just resting. He didn't get enough sleep last night," Uraraka explained. She still sounded a little too upbeat for his liking.

"Ah, that explains it. He looks like he's passed out though," Shouji said.

He heard Midoriya chuckle nervously, probably feeling more confused by the situation than he let on. It wasn't every day that someone you barely knew started talking about nightmares and asking to sleep next to you in the school cafeteria. Eh, U.A. wasn't a normal school. "He asked me to wake him before class so uh, yeah, he's fine."

"Do you mind if I sit?" Shouji's voice asked.

"N-No, of course not," Midoriya replied.

He felt something shift up to his right and guessed that Shouji had sat down next to him, probably concerned for his well-being. He got the feeling that Shouji was more observant than he often let on, what with his heightened senses.

"So I hear All Might himself is going to be teaching us today," Uraraka squealed.

That caught his attention. All Might was the number one hero for a reason. He had personally sent Tokoyami his letter of acceptance and was known for his chivalry and kind heart, as well as his raw power in a fight. If he was going to be teaching the youths of this generation, meaning his class, it would certainly be an interesting afternoon for them. If that was the case, he needed to be ready to show off his skills.

"All Might? I wasn't sure if he actually was a teacher here or not. That's amazing," Shouji replied, awestruck by his tone of voice.

"Mhm, he even sent us our acceptance letters," Uraraka smiled. Midoriya gave a silent mutter in the same regard.

And just to screw with everyone, he quietly rose from his rest, poking his head out from his arms to mutter a quiet, "And me as well." He turned to his right, adding a, "Hey Shouji," before ducking his head back into his arms for more sleep.

That got everyone to shut up for a few precious moments as he settled back into his spot on the table.

"Well, I think it will be an enlightening experience to learn from the best!" Iida announced loudly. Tokoyami was very tempted to get up and smack the guy for his overly loud voice but he knew beating up another student for any reason wasn't very heroic. And he wasn't Bakugou.

"Definitely," Shouji unsurely added.

The next ten minutes or so were spent with the group chatting about their previous lesson and how absolutely tedious it was, as well as about their Quirks and values in general. He picked up that Iida was quite the stickler for the rules and was very passionate about the education system. He discovered the Uraraka was quite driven and determined to do what she could, despite some confidence issues over the applications of her Quirk.

Midoriya definitely seemed like the shy fanboy type. He had seriously low self esteem regarding his Quirk as he admitted using it would cause him immense amounts of pain due to his Quirk's power. He was also the type to mutter **a lot** as he wouldn't stop talking about the importance of Pro Heroes for a good two minutes until Uraraka decided to step in and stop the chatter.

Shouji also shared that while he had the physical strength to back up his own Quirk, using it in a practical sense was something that he felt he was struggling with. Duplicating body parts would be great in a rescue group but in a match against a villain, he'd be outmatched on his own if the villain was pretty serious. He wanted to get stronger so he could protect himself and others.

That was when Tokoyami lifted his ruffled feathery head from his hands, feeling a lot more refreshed than when he had entered the cafeteria. "You want to protect the people you care about?" He blurted out to Shouji, who nodded silently.

"Yes..." Shouji paused, looking thoughtful as he took a few moments before choosing his next sentence carefully. "I was told I couldn't be a hero. So I took to wearing this mask to hide my struggles. I want people to see me as someone they can trust."

That mask... What lay underneath it, Tokoyami wondered. Did he wear it as a fashion sense or was there some form of mutation underneath the cloth? Was he deformed? Did he look villainous?

"What about you Tokoyami? What's your reason for being a Hero?" Iida asked out of the blue.

"Well, uh..." He paused, unsure about what to say. "I honestly don't have one... Well, I want to become stronger and I want to help people. But that's just what everyone wants. I don't really have my own aspirations at the moment. Getting into U.A. was one of them but I don't really have a goal to work towards."

"So you're still figuring yourself out?" Shouji asked.

Tokoyami bowed his head, nodding in silence. "It is actually quite humiliating. Everyone else has their own drive and their own hurdles to overcome. And yet I have no goal to even follow, let alone something to work towards." As he continued rambling, his voice raised in tone until he almost spat out those last words angrily. He hadn't meant for that to happen, but his feelings were what they were.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with that," His friend said, placing one of his arms on Tokoyami's shoulder. "It just means you need more time to find that goal. But that doesn't mean you can't improve and grow strong. Become the Hero you want to be and figure out a path from there, right?"

"He's right Tokoyami. If I can get through the next three years, you can too!" Midoriya smiled.

"I say enjoy the time here while you've got it," The voice of Kaminari called out from the next table over. "When we leave, it's a different world, y'know!"

"A wise course of action," He admitted. "Anyway, I'm feeling rested at least. Shall we head to class?"

The rest of them quickly looked at the wall clock, realizing that lunch had almost ended. It seemed that Tokoyami, despite having been asleep for a majority of the break, was more aware of the time than any of them. "Right, let's go!" Midoriya announced, jumping up from his seat and wolfing down the last of his food. "C'mon!"

Tokoyami rarely laughed. But the scene of his classmates all furiously trying to finish their lunches was tickling to him and he couldn't help but chuckle at it all. Simple pleasures in life were often the best.

* * *

 **"I AM..."**

Nobody expected the storm of absolute theatrics that was about to explode into their lives aside from a few specific students in the class, Tokoyami being one of them. He'd seen his welcome video, he knew just how much the Number One Hero liked to play up his heroics for entertainment, for the excitement and happiness of others. But this... What on earth was going on?

 **"COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"**

All Might, walking through the doorway into the classroom in only the most heroic way that he could. To anybody that had no context on what was going on, this man might like like he was on drugs or possibly insane. But no, this was All Might. His entire appearance was pretty much a drug to his fans.

He was dressed up in one of his famous Silver Age costumes, red, white, blue and yellow spandex. Oh god, it was gaudy. It was everything that Tokoyami didn't like about Hero costumes.

He was dark and brooding, his persona would be mysterious and edgy. AKA - The complete opposite of All Might's over the top neon look.

"Good afternoon class," All Might announced heroically. "I teach Basic Hero Training. In this subject, you will train in the different ways of a Hero and learn many new skills. Let's get right into it!" All Might began to pose and Tokoyami inwardly cringed. Sure, the nerdy side of him was loving this, but the serious side of him just wanted to look away. He was like the Uncle who kept trying to be hip and cool. "This is what we'll do today! Combat Training!"

"Combat training?" The class all began to mutter, some excited, others nervous. But Tokoyami wasn't interested in their ramblings. If they were fighting, that meant-

"And to go with that are these!" All Might's hand pointed straight towards the left-most wall of their class. Suddenly, the walls began to slide open, revealing a set of different numbered cases. "Costumes made based on your Quirk registrations and requests you sent in before school started. Get changed and meet me on Ground Beta!"

And so that's where they all found themselves, changing into their gear in the school's changing rooms.

Every few seconds, there'd be a gasp or a squeal from some of the more emotional guys about their costumes. Sero, Satou, Kaminari, Aoyama and Kirishima were all extremely excited to be getting into their costumes and after changing, had already bolted before Tokoyami could get a good look at them. Bakugou had donned himself in full on grenade-style gear with two massive gauntlets fashioned like grenades and his whole ensemble was of orange and green, just the right colours for an explosion.

Kouda silently gave a wave to Tokoyami before heading out, wearing a very simple red and orange suit with small imprints of what he thought were teeth. Kouda could have done better honestly, but he wasn't going to judge him when he had no idea how Kouda even fought.

Mineta had been dragged out of the changing room by Iida who was dressed like a transformer pretty much. The spitting image of Ingenium, a famous hero known for his speed and prowess. Perhaps Iida was idolizing him?

Even Midoriya, who stated his costume was completely home made by his mother, had left, looking a bit like a bright green bunny rabbit. Still, it wasn't his place to judge.

Given his own costume was a set of dark clothing. But his pride and joy, the one thing that even his eyes lit up at as he put it on, was the massive light-cancelling cloak that he had made for his work. Cloaks were a sort of guilty pleasure for Tokoyami as he enjoyed how he could hide his form and look cool while doing so. And this cloak had the ability of cancelling out the light around it, allowing for Dark Shadow to manifest underneath him.

"Well, don't you look like an absolute edge lord," He heard a voice tease.

"Edge lord! I'll have you know I'm a bacchan-" His words were caught in his throat as he turned, seeing Shouji standing before him dressed in what looked like a silver age costume made entirely of various shades of blue cloth. And the darker shade of blue was still reserved for that full mask face. For some reason, he reminded him of a wrestler. And he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"If I'm an edge lord, then you're a luchadore," He laughed.

"Excuse me? I am a Hero!" He huffed, pushing past Tokoyami with a playful bash. "Now come on, bachan-whatever. We've got training to do!"

"Bacchanal in the darkness," Tokoyami grumbled to himself, pushing up against Shouji and moving past him.

"Edge lord."

"Luchadore."

" **Edge lord."**

 **"Luchadore."**

 **"SHUT UP!"** Ashido screamed from the girl's changing room, coming out to smack the two boys on the head. "You're very loud."

"S-Sorry..." They both stammered.

* * *

As it turned out, Hero Combat Training was a very different scenario to what they had envisioned. They were placed into teams of two and forced to either become a villain or a hero. The job was to either protect or capture a nuclear warhead that was hidden inside one of the city's buildings.

The teams had been randomly decided and Tokoyami found himself on a team with Tsuyu Asui. Her Quirk was Frog, making her able to do what a frog could. Jumping high, crawling along walls, sticking out her tongue, she was versatile.

"Hey, Lil' Shadow guy," She said when they first spoke, coaxing out his Dark Shadow who grumbled at her and almost nipped her finger off in protest. She didn't seem put off by it though and her facial expressions never changed so she was hard to read.

Tokoyami knew that the most terrifying people were the ones who could conceal their emotions through a poker face. He had long since learned that art and it seemed that Asui had also gotten that mastered down to an art form.

The group all watched the first battle between Midoriya, Uraraka, Bakugou and Iida with bated breath, but nobody could have predicted the results. Midoriya with a shattered arm and a firm resolve, turning around the battle against the toughest opponent in the class, before being sent to Recovery Girl.

It had happened so quickly and while Tokoyami wanted nothing more than to ensure his friend was okay, he needed to focus on the lesson lest he end up letting down Asui. And as it happened, they were stuck against Kirishima and Sero, two very interesting personalities. It would certainly be an interesting exercise for the two of them.

This would be his first chance in combat to prove himself and as he stood outside his battle building with Asui, he knew he needed to prove to the class just how strong he was. He'd have time to think about the other matches later and chat with the other Heroes later. For now, he needed to focus.

And then their match began in earnest.

* * *

 **A/N - I sort of rushed the ending there, didn't I. Honestly, I didn't want to write up a whole chapter of Tokoyami reacting to Midoriya and Bakugou's fights because it just wouldn't add anything to Tokoyami's current character. Aside from the concern for his friend, which I will address, I felt it best to skim over certain aspects of the moment.**

 **I'll be pretty much improvising a battle scenario between Tokoyami, Asui, Kirishima and Sero and my plan is to get a bit of Asui's character in there. Not calling her Tsuyu yet since she barely knows Tokoyami.**

 **Please leave a review and I'll see you with the next update!**


	10. Team H vs Team J! Shouji's Regret!

**Chapter 10 - Team H vs Team J! Shouji's Regret!**

Tokoyami and Asui awaited the sound of the buzzer that was signify their time to attack. Waiting outside of Battle Building C, their goal was simple. They had to sneak into the building and either retrieve the nuclear warhead from the enemies or succeed in capturing the Villains with their rolls of capture tape. The Villains have five minutes to set up their defenses before the Heroes entered.

"We're against Kirishima and Sero," Tokoyami stated, breaking the silence that had been building between the two. "Are you aware of their Quirks? I confess I was not paying much attention yesterday."

"Kirishima can harden his skin," Asui explained. She tipped her finger against her mouth, pondering the other for a moment before finishing her explantion. "Sero can create tape from his body."

Tape and Hardening. Two Quirks that could prove to be slippery if paired together. Sero's tape would probably be the biggest hurdle due to the nature of tape being sticky and tough to remove. He imagined it would probably be used like rope. While Kirishima would definitely be an asset in hand to hand combat.

"If we can get past the tape, we've got a good shot at taking the win here."

"You're sure you can take on Kirishima?" Asui asked.

"At range, he's useless. If he can only harden his body, his only way of putting us out of commission would be a full scale attack."

Tokoyami glanced upward at the building. Behind those windows was a maze of dark, similar looking, industrial corridors, each confined so that making any progress would be more than difficult with the wrong Quirk. But there was also the advantage of the darkness inside the building. There was no sunlight to directly harm Dark Shadow, meaning he'd be able to use more power indoors.

"Hey, I trust you," Asui whistled, her tongue rolling out of her mouth as she smiled. "We've got this if we're careful, and you've got Lil Shadow."

"Dark Shadow is a useful tool to have around," He admitted, feeling Dark Shadow stirring beneath his cloak.

"I don't see him as a tool though," Asui muttered to herself, her gaze falling on his cloak. "He moves and talks, he's his own person then, right?"

"More like an extension of my abilities," Tokoyami explained. "Dark Shadow does have his own personality, but he does what I command without any resistance."

"But he's not a pet though, if he can think and talk for himself," Asui said.

The rest of his class didn't understand Dark Shadow well enough to really get a feel for how it was like being tethered to him. Tokoyami had his entire life to feel out and understand his Quirk and while he certainly kept it happy, he knew just how destructive Dark Shadow would be if it wasn't constantly being repressed by Tokoyami's will.

"What do you think happens when that conscious mind takes over?" He stated coldly. "When it's power becomes so great that it overtakes my own actions and desires. What do you think a demon does then?"

Asui didn't reply, looking away in silence.

"That is why I call it a tool. To think otherwise would be to invite disaster."

They stood in silence for a minute, waiting for the timer to begin in earnest. Asui didn't bring up the issue of Dark Shadow's sentience again, instead opting to pick at her costume and mumble to herself while Tokoyami leaned on the iron railing outside the building's main entrance.

"Heroes, can you hear me?" All Might's voice echoed inside their ears.

Tokoyami almost jumped a mile, having forgotten about the ear pieces that they had been told to wear prior to entering the battle arena. Asui looked over at him with a small grin at his flustered form, pressing her hand to hear ear before replying, "We're here Mr All Might!"

"Just All Might will do," Their teacher replied with a hearty laugh. "Now then, the Villains have had time to fortify the building. You are free to enter in ten seconds. Good luck!"

"Ten seconds?" Tokoyami muttered, pushing off of the railings and readying himself to head inside.

Asui hopped up beside him, looking ahead with that peerless gaze of hers. Now it was just a waiting game and then the real fun would begin.

" **Start!** "

Asui hopped over to the main door, pushing it open gently. Tokoyami moved along behind her, eyes darting around that first hallway. And what met them was nothing too threatening. A dark and spooky hallway that led into the building. It seemed that there were no defenses set up at all around the entryway, meaning they'd be able to proceed.

"Alright, I'm going to move on ahead and check things out," Asui announced, hopping onto the wall to their left. She landed on the wall, sticking to the surface a small thud and began to pad her way down the hall, Tokoyami following a fair distance behind.

The moment he felt the sunlight of the entrance diminish, he allowed Dark Shadow's claws to emerge, dark shadowy tendrils that were ready to put up a fight. "Dark Shadow, cover any corners that Asui isn't checking."

 **"Shut up,"** Dark Shadow growled, yet doing exactly what it was told to do.

This was a part of it's strengthened form. In the darkness, Dark Shadow was able to do much more and cover further ground, but his attitude took a turn for the sour and he became more difficult to hold back. However this darkness wasn't too bad. With fluorescent lighting at various points in the building, he would be able to keep his Quirk in check for the exercise, even if his Quirk's attitude would be awful the whole time.

Dark Shadow took the right corridors while Asui took the left, the group carefully moving their way to the stairwell at the far end that moved to the next floor. This pattern continued... and continued.

"You would think that Sero would defend the halls more," He noted as they reached the fifth and final floor, still seeing no sign of any attacks of tape. They had spent a good four minutes being careful enough at getting up there and now they had a good eleven minutes to find the weapon.

"Perhaps Kirishima and Sero are hiding in the weapon room," Asui suggested.

"Holing themselves in for the long haul," He grumbled, turning the corner.

And walking straight into a massive wad of tape.

"Tokoyami!" He heard Asui shout as he fell backwards, bouncing off of the tape and back into the first corridor. As Asui turned the corner, she also saw the sight that lay before them.

The door to the weapon room lay at the far side of the corridor. But between the door and themselves was a thick layer of tape that stretched out across various points in the corridor, almost like a tripwire system.

"Dark Shadow, can you break the tape?" He asked, pushing himself off of the floor with his hands.

 _ **"Can I break the tape? Just watch me,"**_ Dark Shadow growled, dark claws slashing at the tape. A few swipes later and the tape was tattered beneath their feet. **_"Can I break the tape, he says? Doubting my abilities, he thinks?"_**

"It seems that Lil Shadow's upset," Asui said. "And not so little anymore," She added.

"This is not the time to be selfish or moody, Dark Shadow. We must dispatch of the Villains soon," Tokoyami stated to his Quirk, the Shadow giving him the side eye before retreating back to behind Tokoyami. "So what's the plan?"

"If we charge in, Sero'll tape us," Asui whispered. "But if I can wrap him around my tongue, I might be able to capture him with the capture tape."

"You'll need Dark Shadow to go in first then. That room has to be covered in tape, right? Only Dark Shadow can break it."

Asui nodded, pointing at the door. "Let's go!"

They sprinted down the hallway, silently making their way to the door. Tokoyami lifted his cloak, allowing Dark Shadow to appear from the front, slamming into the door and knocking it off of it's hinges. A pair of male screams echoed from the room and he was satisfied that he managed to spook the pair inside.

Running through the door after Dark Shadow, he could already feel his Quirk slicing down rolls of tape. Asui hopped in behind him, using his cloak as cover before ducking behind one of the many pillars lining the room.

"How'd they get through the tape so quickly?! Aw, this isn't manly at all!" He heard Kirishima shout panicked.

"It's that Shadow dude. We gotta take him out quickly or he'll take down all my tape!" Sero shouted from across the room.

 _"Great, they're targeting me,"_ He thought, darting to the opposite side of the room as his partner. He needed to keep as far away from her as possible for the best diversion. If they focused on him, they might just forget about Asui.

"Dark Shadow, defend my blind spots!" He shouted, running from the pillar he was hiding behind. He could see another pillar halfway across the room that was blocked by a few lines of tape. He could probably get through it if he jumped at the right moment but he knew this move could either make or break him.

"Get him!" Kirishima called out.

He felt something whiz by his head just behind him, realizing it was probably more tape. Sero was focusing on him. Perfect.

Leaping forwards, he curled up and slipped through a small gap in the tape, landing just behind the next pillar. He was roughly on the opposite side of the room to his partner, who hadn't moved from her initial position.

"He's behind the pillar!" Kirishima announced.

"I know! He's mine!" Sero shouted.

Suddenly two wads of tape burst from either side of the pillar, curving around. He barely had time to react as Sero pulled back on the tape, slamming it straight into Tokoyami's chest and pinning him to the pillar.

But wait? This wasn't the capture tape. He wasn't out of it yet. "Now Asui!" He shouted.

"Oh shit, the other one," He heard Kirishima call out, but by then it was too late.

Asui darted from her spot, her tongue already extending towards Sero who was already stuck holding onto the tape that was keeping Tokoyami pinned. The panic was exactly what they had wanted and Asui almost grinned when she noticed Sero let go of the tape he was holding to shoot some more.

Tokoyami felt the grip lighten and with a roar, he darted around the pillar, pushing himself along towards the group. Sero, now realizing the mistake he made, tried to shoot tape at the both of them. But his aim was off from the pressure and his tape missed Tokoyami.

"What the heck?" Sero shouted, suddenly feeling his waist tighten and he looked down to see Asui's tongue wrapped around him.

Kirishima finally kicked away his confusion and launched himself towards the trio, slamming his hand down towards Asui's tongue. But he was too late. Asui pulled herself towards Sero, zooming straight past Kirishima, causing him to slam his hand into the solid floor below.

"Damnit!" He growled, turning to where Asui had now pinned Sero to the ground, her weight keeping him from being able to move.

Kirishima charged once more, eyes on Asui who couldn't move without removing her hold on Sero! He'd be able to capture her for sure!

Tokoyami grinned.

 **"The match is over! Heroes win!"**

Kirishima, Asui and Sero all stopped, seemingly confused as Kirishima let his Quirk fade out before turning around in confusion. Tokoyami was still over by Sero and Asui and he was going after them. He wasn't captured so how the hell did the match just suddenly end?

Tokoyami, with immense satisfaction, pointed at Kirishima. Well, not at him, more like behind him.

The red-haired boy span around, a strangled cry erupting from his throat as he felt his knees buckle underneath him as the weight of his mistake came crashing down around him.

For standing there, nuclear weapon in hand, was Dark Shadow.

"I had my Quirk sneak around the room while you had me pinned to the pillar. The moment you took your eyes off of the weapon, you'd already lost the match," He explained, reaching a hand out to pull Asui up from the floor.

"Man, we were so close too," Sero groaned, taking in deep breaths as he felt Asui being lifted off of him.

"Sorry about that," She said to Sero.

"Y-You tricked us!" Kirishima choked out. "That's not manly at all."

Tokoyami rolled his eyes at this, "Battles aren't manly. Battles are battles. And as you saw in the fight with Midoriya, sneak attacks often work better than punching at a literal wall like yourself." He would never have won the fight if he'd gone 1 on 1 against Kirishima, so he was glad that Dark Shadow had been able to snag the nuke in time.

Had Dark Shadow been a few seconds slower, Asui probably would have been knocked down by Kirishima and he'd be facing a 2 on 1 situation. And he worked better with 1 on 1 battles. Adding Sero's tape to the mix and he could have lost the fight easily.

 **"Students, please head back to the viewing room so we can go over your battle."**

* * *

"All right, after watching that battle, you each had your ups and your downs," All Might explained in the viewing room, looking at the four heroes who each had fought. "Sero and Kirishima, you both acted rashly and let your guards down multiple times. By focusing on Young Tokoyami, you completely ignored Young Asui who was able to attack you when you least expected it."

Kirishima looked absolutely dejected by All Might's words and All Might noticed, placing his hands nervously on Kirishima's shoulders.

"But don't despair! That is precisely why you must aim to become stronger. Focus on seeing the bigger picture."

Those words rang a bell for Tokoyami. Just over a month ago he was getting the exact same advice from his teacher. He'd adapted and felt he'd done a very manageable job of keeping on top of everything, aside from getting snagged on the pillar.

"Young Asui, you were extremely skilled at scouting and hiding from your opponents. You used your Quirk well and took down Sero very quickly. But you need to learn to be faster with your movements. Had that been a real bomb, you wouldn't be able to afford hiding as much as you did."

Asui nodded silently, poker face still on point, as All Might then turned to face Tokoyami.

"You've come a long way in such a short time. In group fights, you were overwhelmed back in the Entrance Exam. But here you were clearly able to view the battle in it's entirety. You were caught on that pillar, which in a real scenario, would have been more fatal than you may realize, but you were aware of your teammate's movements and you used yourself and your Quirk as a good distraction. I would say the best student of the battle goes to you."

All Might turned to draw the next balls out of the ballots but paused, glancing back at Tokoyami, "Although you might want to try working out more. Get your physical body in shape so that you can make sharper movements in battle."

 ** _"Did All Might just tell you to work out more? That's hilarious! Finally someone tells you!"_** Dark Shadow laughed.

"I am not above turning all the lights on tonight Dark Shadow," He growled as a threat.

"Young Tokoyami, who are you talking to?" All Might asked.

Tokoyami paused, he felt his face flush and then, "I didn't mean to say that out loud. S-Sorry."

All Might gave him a rather weird look, the rest of the class devolving into small murmurs until, "Anyway, moving on!"

* * *

The class ended about forty minutes later with everyone feeling pumped up from their lesson in their costumes, but ready to call it quits for the day. They were told to head back to class to get changed and collect their stuff before they were allowed to head home. But it seemed the class consensus that everybody hang out for a little while to wait on Midoriya.

As they all trudged back to the main school building, the class began to notably separate into their groups. Kaminari, Jirou, Kirishima and Bakugou were leading the walk back to school, although Bakugou was more trudging ahead of everyone else. It seemed his battle with Midoriya had shaken him.

Sero, Aoyama, Ojiro, Tooru and Mineta were all chatting away in their own little group while Iida, Uraraka and Ashido were all chatting near the back of the pack.

Satou, Momo and Todoroki all seemed to be off in their own worlds as they walked which left the small group of Tokoyami, Shouji, Kouda and Asui right at the tail end of the group.

"You were impressive today, the pair of you," Shouji stated, looking at Tokoyami and Asui. "The class just won't stop talking about you guys, Midoriya and Todoroki."

"Seriously?" Asui asked incredulously. "I thought we did pretty shaky. Some people are weird though."

Then they heard a small, timid and soft voice join the conversation, "Um, I thought you were pretty cool, both of you." Kouda stood there, sheepishly holding his hands as they continued walking.

"Well thank you Kouda," Tokoyami replied, smiling at the boy.

"Oh, no problem."

"Oh, and Kouda," Tokoyami added. "Thanks for last night. It worked."

"Last night?" Shouji asked.

"Remember how I said I was having nightmares. Kouda gave me some ideas on how to get back to sleep." Kouda gave a small shy wave at his name being mentioned.

"How did you even contact each other in the middle of the night?" Asui asked.

"The internet."

It was a pretty short answer but that seemed to be enough for Asui to tell Tokoyami to add her to the group. Apparently she wanted to make a lot of new friends at U.A. and she thought this would be a good start. "Call my Tsuyu, by the way."

Tokoyami felt his feathers bristle in surprise, "Of course, Tsuyu, my apologies."

"It seems we're the last people to arrive," Shouji stated, his appendages now forming into eyes, trying to spot the rest of the class. They had all gone ahead leaving the four of them alone on the sun-drenched road that led to the school.

"It's not like we're in a hurry," Tsuyu shrugged.

"Midoriya won't be done with Recovery Girl for a long while yet." The rest of the group gave Shouji a mix of bewildered looks, even Tokoyami wondering how he knew that. "What? This is his second time visiting her in two days. Don't you know how her Quirk works?"

 _ **"I get the feeling you're going to tell us,"**_ A small wisp of Dark Shadow stated, materializing around Tokoyami's neck, much to the surprise of Kouda.

"Ignore him," Tokoyami grumbled, placing a hand to his beak in annoyance.

"As I was going to say," Shouji continued, one of his many eyes glaring at the Dark Shadow Tokoyami was trying to calm down. "Recovery Girl's healing Quirk requires a user's stamina to heal them. Not only was Midoriya absolutely shattered after the last battle, but he was already healed yesterday, meaning his stamina is much lower than it should be."

"Oh, um, so he's too weak to fully heal quickly?" Kouda summed up, Shouji giving the boy a thumbs up in return.

"I see." Tokoyami had wondered what Recovery Girl's limits were. Repeated visits would certainly be an issue, especially for Midoriya as his Quirk was so destructive in its nature already. And with his Quirk taking so much out of him, his healing may not even work right away.

The group fell silent as they approached the large glass doors that led back into U.A. High School's main building, the group heading in with Tsuyu splitting off to head to the women's changing room. With a wave of her abnormally large hands, she bid them farewell for the moment and padded off. The other three each headed towards the men's changing room to get changed.

As they each began to change back into their school gear, Tokoyami noticed something clinging to Shouji's hero uniform. More specifically, the boots. Small flecks of frost from his round of battle, although it really couldn't be called a battle when Todoroki completely decimated Ojiro and Tooru without even needing Shouji's tracking skills.

Shouji had just finished changing his face mask when Tokoyami felt he needed to ask, "Hey, Shouji? Are you feeling okay after your battle?"

The taller boy sat down on one of the changing room benches, slipping on his school shoes before letting out a rather audible sigh. "I am actually quite frustrated, I must say."

Tokoyami could see Shouji's arms drooping, his main hands clenched into fists. Out of everyone in the group, Shouji looked completely fine, didn't even work up a sweat. And Tokoyami could tell that was taking it's toll on the boy. "You wanted to prove yourself, didn't you."

It wasn't a question but a statement from the bird, who was frowning as much as someone with a beak could possibly frown. Kouda was watching out of the corner of his eye, looking rather down as well at those words from Shouji. They had only known each other for two days, for goodness sake, but seeing the taller boy frustrated on such a momentous lesson was certainly not fun.

"My first time in my costume, my first time in a real fighting lesson and I got shafted a few seconds in. I wasn't useful enough." Kouda and Tokoyami both jumped when they heard the slight crack as Shouji slammed his left fist down onto the bench.

There were no words that could be said for the taller boy. Nothing would fix that pain that Todoroki's actions had caused, but when Shouji finally let his arms drop to his sides once more, fists unclenched, the two others were surprised to hear, "I don't blame Todoroki. Even if I wished it, holding grudges is not my style. I want to see us all improve but I need to show my own improvements as well."

Shouji really was one of a kind. And just kind in general. Tokoyami had somehow ended up with a rather weird group of friends at the end of his first two days at U.A. But as he noticed that now-familiar crinkle in Shouji's mask that meant he'd cracked a smile, he knew that he wouldn't change it for the world.

* * *

 **A/N - This was a fun chapter to write! I'm glad people are enjoying my characterizations for these characters as I know I'm not that great at writing. I know Tokoyami is a lot more serious and brooding, but I'll leave overly-serious Tokoyami to the writers that do him justice and stick with my more "Socially awkward nerd" Tokoyami. He's such a dork and I love him for it.**

 **Kouda is a character I'd like to use more since he's got a lot of canon interactions with Tokoyami, moreso than Shouji, so I definitely want to make sure he's a fun character to listen to. Pure cinnamon roll who cares too much. That's about right.**

 **And obviously Asui/Tsuyu. Blunt, lovable Froppy. She pairs up with Tokoyami a lot and is a good bridge character that keeps Tokoyami invested in the rest of the class.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I'm not the best Boku no Hero Academia writer out there, I'm still working on my characterizations, but I'm glad some people like it!**


	11. The Media Swarms! Treetop Hideout!

**A/N - I just wanted to say thank you for the 1000 views on for this story! It's awesome that you guys are interested in the story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11 - The Media Swarms! Treetop Hideout!**

"Excuse me! You are a student here, yes?"

Tokoyami glanced sideways at the large conglomeration of press reporters that were all gathered outside of the U.A. High School gates, his feathers bristling in annoyance. One woman, a dark brunette with her hair tied back in a ponytail, was extremely persistent. This was her fourth day standing outside of the gates harassing the students for interviews and it was the third time she'd tried to approach him.

"What do you think of All Might as a teacher?" She cried out, slamming her microphone in front of his beak.

Without speaking, he nipped at the microphone with his beak, pushing it away. "I have class to attend. Don't make me late," He warned, pushing through a few news reporters who were holding large cameras.

"We only need a few words on All Might! What is he like behind closed doors?" She persisted, moving in front of Tokoyami to block his path. "Just a few words and we'll let you be on your way."

"A few words," Tokoyami said, a grin playing across his face. "Alright, fine."

"Ah finally! So tell us! What is All Might like?" She asked excitedly, shoving her microphone right at his face.

Tokoyami paused for a moment, letting the silence wash over them as they eagerly anticipated his response. "All Might is..."

"Is what?" They all asked with bated breath.

"None of your business," He snapped, pushing past the reporters before they even had time to register that he'd feinted them out.

The reporter whirled around, a fire lit in her eyes as she angrily scowled at Tokoyami. "You lied to us!"

"And you're trying to bully a fifteen year old about his education," He countered, stepping through the U.A. gate. "You may as well give up while you can."

He left the scowling news reporters behind at the gate, knowing they wouldn't be able to enter without any form of ID. Those reporters had been camping out there for ages, trying to get some sort of scoop on All Might that could lead to a national scandal. But no matter how many times Iida told them that All Might was amazing and perfect, or how many times Aizawa had told them to get off the property, they would not be discouraged.

It was a wonder that they hadn't tried to trail the students as they headed home for interviews. The last thing he needed was to be hounded by the media after a long day of work. He was already tired enough as it was adjusting to U.A.'s schedules and while he had finally found a routine that worked, it was still a struggle when the media was involved.

"Can you believe they've been camping out there for days?" Kirishima exclaimed as Tokoyami entered 1-A's classroom. The red head was unusually loud today and he could see the boy look almost flustered.

"And they keep going after you Kirishima, bro," Kaminari jeered. "Especially that brunette in the blue jacket. She's been after you for days."

Mineta had perked up at that, his face beginning to change in earnest at the subject matter, "At least she tried to interview you. None of the cute girls would interview me," He cried out in anguish.

"That's cuz you're creepy and weird," Jirou pointed out, brushing back her audio jacks as she looked up to see Tokoyami. "Did they get you too?"

He nodded silently, making his way to his desk with a grumble before sitting on top of the table. "They wanted the scoop on All Might. I told them to mind their own business."

"That's not like you," Kirishima noted with a grin. "Did the media actually manage to make you break your whole dark mysterious act?"

Tokoyami glared at the red-haired boy, feeling a flush creep down his neck, his feathers bristling with anger. "It is no act, Kirishima. At least I don't dye my hair."

"Hey, how'd you know I dye my hai-" The boy paused as Tokoyami simply gestured behind him, his hand pointing towards Midoriya who was sitting on his desk, scribbling notes into one of his many booklets. As Izuku noticed they were looking at him, he gave a sheepish wave. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Hey Midoriya, how'd you know Kirishima dyes his hair?" Ashido asked curiously. "I thought only I knew that since we went to middle school together."

Midoriya's eyes widened with understanding as he finally was clued in to what was going on and quickly replied with a, "I saw a bottle of hair dye in his bag once while changing."

Well that was anti-climactic.

"Move it bastards!" An angry voice roared, matched by the blonde Bakugou bombshell that almost exploded into the room. He stormed over to his seat, slamming his bag down, ignoring everyone else. Tokoyami noted that his hands were smoking which meant he'd used his Quirk recently. "Those fucking punks think I'm weak! Damnit, fucking sludge villain bullshit..."

"Sounds like Bakubro got hit by the media too," Kirishima howled with laughter.

The aforementioned "Bakubro" span his head around so fast, eyes boring into Kirishima's direction. If looks could kill, Bakugou's now famous catchphrase of "Die" would certainly take a whole new meaning and probably raise the body count. "What? You don't like the nickname?"

"What do you fucking think?" He spat out irritated.

Kirishima shrugged, "I thought it was pretty creative."

"I am going to deck you so hard in the next training session," He snarled.

"Bring it, I can take whatever you can give," Kirishima chuckled, some of the class giving him perplexed stares at his choice of words. But if either of the two hot heads seemed to notice, they definitely didn't show it.

"Anyway, where's Iida," Tokoyami asked, looking around the room. Some of the class still hadn't arrived, probably accosted by the media, but the distinct lack of the glasses wearing male, who constantly tried to get him to stop sitting on the desks, was interesting to note. "Actually, now that I think about it, don't you normally come in with Iida and Uraraka, Midoriya?"

Midoriya gave a nod, pointing to the door, "Iida left earlier to make sure everyone got inside safely. I think Mr. Aizawa gave him the job of keeping us away from the reporters."

At that moment, the class door opened revealing Iida's tall figure along with Uraraka, Shouji, Kouda and Tsuyu. He gave a quick wave to the group, Shouji replying with a nonchalant wave of his own while Kouda timidly smiled in his direction. Tsuyu nodded in his direction before heading to her own desk.

"Those reporters were too much for Kouda," Shouji explained as he leaned on his desk next to Tokoyami. The boy in question was nervously fidgeting with his hands on his desk, looking rather frazzled. "Iida, Tsuyu and I had to get him inside before they caused any major problems."

"Are you alright Kouda?" He asked, looking over at the other boy.

Kouda looked up at them nervously. He seemed to be shaking quite a bit from all of the attention he'd gotten, but Tokoyami was used to talking with Kouda at this point and quickly leaned over towards the boy. "Just give me a thumbs up if you're feeling good or a thumbs down if you're still a bit unsure."

The other boy hesitated for a moment before nervously raising his thumb, Tokoyami giving Kouda small nod and smile before taking his own seat at his desk. "Alright Kouda, I'll leave you to it then."

As the class all began to settle into their seats, still chatting among themselves, Shouji slid one of his arms over to Tokoyami's desk, forming into a mouth to chat with him. "You're a good friend to him, Tokoyami."

"Don't give me all the credit, Shouji," He replied, pointing to the door of the classroom. "You were the one who helped to get him inside."

"But I don't have the gift of talk that you have," The taller boy replied.

Tokoyami glanced over at Shouji's actual face, raising his brow incredulously. "Gift of talk? Surely you must be mistaken."

"Anybody that knows you on a more personal level gets it," Shouji explained with a sigh. "Of course, you'd never admit to being good at that sort of stuff, what with your dark and mysterious persona."

He felt the feathers on his face ruffle, looking away from Shouji with a mortified look on his face. He always hated it when the other boy teased him about his image. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, but pointing it out made more people notice and then the questions. Oh god, the questions. If he heard Kaminari ask if he shopped at Hot Topic one more time...!

"Seriously though, Kouda looks up to you," Shouji finished.

"Um... I can hear you, you know," A soft voice whispered, both of them turning to see Kouda sweating nervously behind them, a rose tinted blush on his cheeks. "But um... He's not wrong. You're like really cool Tokoyami. Like a big brother..." The boy turned away, hiding his head in his hands as he admitted that.

The bird in question could only splutter and squawk out a, "Thank you Kouda," before looking away. A big brother? He had no idea he was having that effect on the boy. He had to admit though, Kouda definitely did have the characteristics of a younger brother, sort of like the baby of the whole Class. In fact, the whole class already felt a bit like a seriously dysfunctional family.

He had no idea just how close they would become over the next few years, but for now everyone was still a little bit wary of each other. Maybe it was from their sparring matches, but everybody was still very much stuck in their own little cliques with only a few members of the class actually moving in between each group. Tsuyu and Ashido were perhaps the best at that, able to move around to whoever they wanted without much trouble.

Tokoyami had a good relationship with a lot of his classmates but he had his preferred group. Shouji, Kouda, Tsuyu and Midoriya were the main group. And of course, with Midoriya came Iida and Uraraka. He got on well with Momo and Jirou thanks to their interactions in those first few days and he found that both he and Jirou were into similar rock bands.

But he found it much harder to fit in with the real boys of the class. Sero, Satou, Kirishima and Kaminari were already forming extremely close bonds and they certainly weren't his first picks for people to chat with.

Shouji had somehow taken a brief shining to Mineta, if only because he was the only person capable of keeping the miniature boy away from all of the girls in the class. It was truly an admirable task and everyone else appreciated his sacrifices made to make sure the creepy child was kept at arm's length, but sometimes it irritated Tokoyami how he'd often want to talk with Shouji, only to see Mineta causing another scene.

Shouji was definitely his closest friend next to Midoriya and Kouda though. Tokoyami and Shouji still both walked home together after school, trying to shave off precious minutes of their walking time while chatting about whatever came to mind. Even Dark Shadow was taking a liking to his regular group of friends, having tried to beat Shouji in arm wrestling a few days prior and often bumping into Kouda with friendly playful jabs to keep the boy happy.

Little did the Class know that by the end of the day, their lives would be changed forever.

* * *

"So explain to me why you don't want to eat in the cafeteria today?" Shouji asked, trudging behind Tokoyami as they walked across the grass outside of the main building.

Tokoyami had been planning on skipping lunch that day, since he'd packed his own food specifically so he could be outside. Just a few days prior, he'd seen a really tall tree on the school grounds where some students liked to sit under and relax. But looking up was his actual goal. The tree's branches were extremely thick and could probably support the weight of a group of students.

"I want to climb a tree," He called back. "And I need your help if you're willing."

"Climb a tree? You want to climb a tree?" Shouji repeated, giving his friend a concerned stare.

"Yes Shouji," Tokoyami exclaimed, pointing at the large tree he had spied some days ago. "I want to climb," He pointed at the tree's branches, "Up this tree!"

"And you need me because...?" It seemed his friend just wanted to eat his lunch.

Tokoyami huffed. "Isn't it obvious. You need to lift me up."

"L-Lift you?" Shouji stammered, his arms tensing up in surprise. "Like, lift lift?"

"As in, you grab me and push me up high enough to reach one of the branches, yes," Tokoyami explained, hands on his hips as he waited for Shouji to get on his wavelength. "I don't want to use Dark Shadow since I'm saving him for training later on today."

Shouji considered his options, eyeing the branches wearily before looking over at Tokoyami. And promptly finding his resolve to abstain from this activity melting as he noticed his fellow's feathers begin to droop. "Fine!" He grumbled. "Just this once!"

"Thanks Shouji," Tokoyami smiled, face lighting up as waltzed on over to the tree's trunk. "If I can just reach one of the sturdy looking branches, I should be able to climb it a bit of the ways up."

"Alright, you ready?" Shouji asked, Tokoyami giving a small nod in response. The taller boy focused on one of his arms, wrapping itself around Tokoyami's waist just like he had done during that day in the Entrance Exam, twice. Only this time Tokoyami was actually prepared and was able to keep his balance as felt himself being weightlessly lifted off of the ground.

"You need to lay off the white rice," The tall boy huffed as he lifted Tokoyami up to one of the lower branches.

Reaching out, Tokoyami wrapped his hand around one of the large branches of the tree and quickly scrambled up, Shouji still holding him for balance as he pushed himself up into a standing position. "I think I can climb on my own from here," He called down, giving his friend a thumbs up before moving to climb higher up into the tree's thicket of leaves.

Clambering further up into the branches, he could spot a rather large branch near the top of the tree. It looked abnormally large though, like it had been fashioned on and added to the tree at some point. Perhaps someone had already had the idea to climb up here before? It was like a small wooden platform, large enough to fit a group of three or four people.

He was just a little ways below that platform but he'd need to stand upwards to reach it. The problem was that the branches got thinner the higher up the tree he went and there was a chance that his weight could cause the branch he was on to snap.

He'd have to jump for it. If this went wrong, he'd fall out of the tree and likely have to use Dark Shadow's power to stop the fall. It wouldn't hurt him per say, but an impact of that height could do a number on Dark Shadow's power, not to mention he didn't want to fall out of the tree after Shouji had helped him get up.

"Alright, steady Tokoyami," He whispered, calming himself as he raised himself into a standing position on the branch. He could feel the tree wobbling and his legs were shaking from the lack of balance. But he was determined to make it to the top. He pushed off of the branch, leaping upwards, feeling his hands grab the rough wooden platform.

And then one of his hands slipped. Crying out in surprise, he felt his body weight all shift to the one hand holding him up, which combined with his fairly average physical strength, meant he'd slip if he couldn't find something to grab a hold of.

"Tokoyami!" He heard a voice call from close by. His head snapped to the tree's trunk, where he could see Shouji slowly clambering up the tree towards him. "Hold on! I'm almost there!"

"It's not like I **want** to let go!" He snapped, panic filling his voice as he felt his arm beginning to slip.

And then he felt his grip on the board falter, his arm letting go from the aching pressure that had slowly been filling his arm. For a moment, he fell into free fall, feeling the wind rush around him as he realized he was falling.

And then as quickly as he'd dropped, he felt something familiar wrap around him, changing his momentum and pulling him straight back up towards the spot where he'd slipped from.

Shouji was glaring at him as the taller boy pulled him onto the wooden platform that he'd managed to clamber up to, shaking his head angrily as he brought Tokoyami over the side before dropping him right next to him. "Idiot," He grumbled.

"Sor...Sorry," Tokoyami replied sheepishly, breathing in deeply in an attempt to calm himself down from that small rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"Next time you ask to climb a tree, an idea might be to wait for me first," Shouji irritably muttered, giving Tokoyami a disappointed look with one of his duplicate eyes.

"I didn't think you were actually going to climb up with me," Tokoyami admitted, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly as he left off a nervous chuckle.

"You thought I was going to leave my best friend dangling from a tree?" The other stated bluntly, catching Tokoyami completely off guard with his words, the bird letting out what seemed like a squawk of embarrassment. "What?" Shouji asked, now pulling out what looked like a sandwich from his backpack.

"N-Nothing," Tokoyami muttered, doing the same. "You just called me your uh, b-best friend, is all."

"Well you _are_ my best friend, Tokoyami. I thought that was pretty obvious."

"Not to me!" The smaller admitted. "I haven't had a best friend before, you know."

Shouji chuckled, one of his mouths beginning to eat while a duplicate formed to continue the conversation. "You mean Dark Lord Tokoyami hasn't had a best friend?"

With a grumble, Tokoyami playfully nudged the other one away from him, letting out a few small grumbles of "Dark Lord" and "Edgy" and a distinct sentence that sounded like, "Of course I've had friends."

"You know I'm kidding right, about the Dark Lord thing," Shouji replied, suddenly very unsure as to whether he may have taken the joke a little too far. "Tokoyami, I am kidding you know." Tokoyami looked away, as if upset and Shouji could only look down in dismay.

Until he heard Tokoyami's chuckling just a few moments later. Before he knew it, Tokoyami's chuckles had turned into actual laughter.

"W-What's so funny?"

"It's just," Tokoyami laughed. "You actually thought I was upset."

"How is that funny? I thought you were angry at me!" Shouji countered.

"I don't even know," Tokoyami cried out laughing. It was rare for him to even smile, let alone get into a fit of full blown laughter. In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd just full on laughed out loud. "Seriously, I don't even know."

He imagined Shouji was thoroughly confused, and he definitely looked it. That confusing glare that the taller was throwing towards him definitely gave it away. But after almost falling out of a tree, he was thoroughly amused by his escapade and hopefully Shouji could see the lighter side of things as well.

"Have I ever told you, you're a weird one, Tokoyami," Shouji said as Tokoyami's laughter began to wind down.

"Weird is good right?" He chuckled, turning his attention back to his friend, a smile plastered across his face.

"In your case, definitely."

Tokoyami felt himself lay back onto the wooden platform, taking the moment to just stare up into the afternoon sky. It was a sunny day, there were a few clouds in the sky, everything felt calm and tranquil up there. Had he not been at school, he might have drifted off there and then, content with having a nap in the trees, but he was still at school and they did have classes in thirty minutes.

He took a glance over at Shouji who had taken up a similar position laying down, looking up at the sky. His arms were resting and it seemed he was just using his two normal eyes to look up at the world around them. Content with the quiet, he felt his eyes shut for a moment, relaxing and just basking in the afternoon sun.

"Thanks for convincing me to come up here," Shouji whispered softly, breaking the silence, but not in a bad way.

"Thanks for saving my ass on the way up," He replied crudely. If Shouji was surprised by his choice of words, he didn't say anything, content in the both of them just laying there.

And then it happened. Suddenly, across the entire campus, a large bell began to ring.

"Lunch doesn't end for another twenty-five minutes," Tokoyami muttered, sitting back up.

"That sounds more like an alarm," Shouji hissed, his arms in the air, eyes and ears looking out for any sign of what was going on. "What the hell?"

"What do you see?" He asked, looking over at his friend who was watching something with intense interest. "Shouji, what do you see?"

"The school gate's been ripped open!" His eyes darted around their location, Tokoyami wondering what was going on before suddenly feeling himself being pushed back down onto his back. "Stay down!" Shouji hissed.

Tokoyami was about to ask why when he heard the sound of tons of footsteps running just a little ways away from the tree. "It's the media, they broke in!"

"B-But that's illegal, right?" Tokoyami replied.

Shouji nodded. "Whatever is happening, it's best that we stay here. If we drop down now, they'll see us and probably corner us for an interview."

That was definitely not the desired outcome. "Hopefully everyone else will be alright. I imagine there's a lot of panic over the alarm."

"Mhm, I can see through the windows. Students are worried. That alarm probably only trips when there's an intrud- What the heck is that?"

"What's what?" Tokoyami hissed.

"There's a man that's veered away from the rest of the media. It looks like he's heading around the school building to the windows near the Teacher's Lounge. Light blue hair, wearing a dark black hoodie." Tokoyami could barely contain himself hearing this. And they were trapped in a tree unable to do anything. "Damnit, he's just entered the building. I've lost him."

"The media are getting desperate, jeez," Tokoyami whispered.

For the next few minutes, Shouji's tentacles became the duo's only way of knowing what was going on while in their hideaway. "The teachers are now outside the Main Entrance. It looks like the press is being sent away."

"Are they gone yet, we need to check on the others."

"Hold on Toko," Shouji grumbled. Tokoyami felt himself go bright red and it seemed Shouji had realized what he said as well, adding a, "I meant Tokoyami, of course. We're just in a hurry, is all."

"Of course," Tokoyami stammered.

"Anyway, it seems the media's gone. We should be abl-"

"You two! How long have you been up there?" A familiar voice suddenly shouted from the base of the tree.

"Oh god," Tokoyami groaned, recognizing the tired, yet stern voice of their teacher, Aizawa, whom was looking up at the platform where the two of them were sitting with an agitated look. "How the hell did you not spot Aizawa?"

"I was more focused on the media group." They heard their teacher call again and decided this time to call it quits. However, "Grab hold of me," Shouji hissed.

Without another word, Tokoyami wrapped his arms around his friend, before Shouji suddenly leaped from the platform they were standing on, rushing down to the ground. He quickly spread out his arms, using the excess skin to slow the fall significantly.

When they landed with a soft thud, it had not been as brutal as either had been expecting. "Why didn't you tell me you could do that?" He asked surprised.

"You never asked."

 **Cough.**

Reminding the two of why they jumped down in the first place, they quickly turned to their Homeroom Teacher, who was looking at them concerned. "So, how long have you two been up there?"

"Ever since lunch started, Sir," Tokoyami quickly replied. "It was my idea."

"I don't care who's idea it was. I'm not telling you off. I wanted to know if you two had seen anything unusual seeing as you were so high up." Aizawa crossed his arms, looking around at the rest of the school concerned.

"I saw someone from the media move around the side of the building. Light blue hair in black or grey clothing," Shouji explained, trying to recall the man he had apparently seen near the teacher's lounge.

"We caught him and chucked him out with the rest," Aizawa stated. "Now, I won't punish you for being up there in the tree. It's part of the campus and the wooden platform at the top was actually built by my class. But next time you decide to skip lunch, let somebody know. In the case of an evacuation, we must be aware of your locations at all times."

"Of course, we'll make sure to do that next time," Shouji stated.

"Alright, now get to class. This incident changes nothing about your lesson this afternoon. And it's an important one," Aizawa drawled, pointing towards the school building.

The two boys quickly nodded to their teacher before heading off towards the main building, Tokoyami adding in a, "Next time?"

Shouji notably tensed up as he said this, replying with a hurried, "Of course, I mean, I just assumed. It was nic-"

"Next time," Tokoyami stated, now a statement, not a question.

And so they headed back into the school building, leaving Aizawa out standing by their tree. Brushing off a few leaves from the base of the trunk, some small initials were engraved there. A.S, H.Y, N.K and K.I.

"A new generation found this tree then. Good for them," Aizawa muttered before turning away from the old oak. There was work to be done and his class would be busy today.

* * *

 **A/N - Pure fluff and world building this chapter. I wanted to sort of specify the current cliques and start working on a few of the characters. Kouda got a lot of focus and will for the USJ arc since he gets warped with Tokoyami. I also wanted to sort of solidify the friendship between Tokoyami and Shouji there which I hope I did well enough.**

 **Canonically, I've deviated from the manga in terms of time. USJ happens just a few days into their school year. Here, I let two weeks pass to allow for natural friendships to form. USJ will obviously strengthen those bonds, but I wanted to add the timeskip for the sake of growth in general.**

 **The tree hideaway is also going to be returning at points in the story. One thing I love about the fics I write is that I can give the characters an area where they can be comfortable. Currently, it's just Tokoyami and Shouji's area. But I could easily expand upon that when the story calls for it.**

 **Anyway, make sure to leave a review if you enjoyed!**


	12. A Disagreement of Friends! USJ!

**Chapter 12 - A Disagreement of Friends! USJ!**

Tokoyami and Shouji were apparently the first people to actually enter their classroom after the lunch fiasco. From what they had seen of the hallways in the direction of the cafeteria though, Tokoyami was glad he hadn't been indoors when the alarm had activated. It seemed that the school had all tried to barge through one of the exits and many of the students had been hurt or pushed around. Panic was definitely not something Tokoyami enjoyed and compared to the silence of the outside, it was a riot in the school building.

The majority of the school seemed to have headed back to the cafeteria to finish their lunches. But the two of them had already finished eating by the time the media swarm hit and with Aizawa telling them to get to class, they weren't in a position to really argue. Tokoyami was just glad that he wouldn't have to give up their spot at the top of the tree. He found it quite relaxing.

But he was concerned for his classmates. In a sea of third and second years, it made sense that the first years were probably lost in the chaos. And if Mineta had gotten lose, he feared for all the women, and men, in the school. That gremlin was a nuisance and possibly the world's biggest pervert. If the villains don't take him out when he's older, it wouldn't be hard to imagine him getting attacked by other heroes with his attitude.

"It seems we're the only ones here," Shouji sighed, taking his seat at his desk. "I am particularly worried about Kouda," The taller boy admitted.

Tokoyami agreed there. Kouda didn't like speaking at the best of times and one look could tell you just how timid he was. Caught in a massive crowd, there was a chance that he could have been overwhelmed.

"Hey Kouda, it's all right," They heard a girl's voice whisper, their eyes darting to the classroom door.

Uraraka, Iida and Midoriya all walked through the door, helping an extremely concerned looking Kouda into the classroom.

"Kouda!" Tokoyami and Shouji quickly moved over to the tall boy, Tokoyami giving the other three a concerned stare. "What happened?"

"When the alarm went off, Kouda got separated from everyone," Midoriya explained. "We tried to find everyone and when Iida got the situation to calm down, we found Kouda sitting on the ground with his hands in his ears."

"Bastards," Tokoyami growled under his breath, just loud enough for Shouji to hear.

"It was really scary," Uraraka explained. "Where were you guys? Did you get caught in the crowd as well?"

Tokoyami shook his head. "We were outside. I convinced Shouji to not go to the cafeteria today."

"So you missed everything!" Iida reacted, flabbergasted.

"We saw the media storm in from the gates," Shouji stated, one eye on Kouda, the other on the group. "We were in one of the trees near the entrance. We couldn't move because of the press near our location." He gestured for the gentle giant to sit down, which Kouda did, giving Shouji a grateful smile.

"It was my fault," Tokoyami muttered to himself. "If I had just invited Kouda, or gone to the cafeteria..."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over this. It's not your fault," Uraraka pouted. "It's the stupid media's fault. If they hadn't been so desperate for a word with All Might, we'd all be fine."

Tokoyami wasn't listening, however. Kouda was his friend and he'd left him to get devoured by the crowds in favor of a lunch in the fields. He could have simply invited Kouda and then the boy wouldn't be so visibly disturbed.

"I-I'm fine, really," The soft voice of Kouda whispered, trying to sound tough. It wasn't very convincing.

"You don't have to lie Kouda," Tokoyami growled, fists clenched.

"But I'm not," Kouda timidly whimpered. "I'm scared and nervous but... I'll be fine." He smiled, giving Tokoyami that nervous shy look that was so definitively Kouda.

He sighed, placing a hand to his head, letting himself simmer down. He was getting too worked up, he knew, but when Kouda put trust in him to be his friend, he wanted to return that trust. By not being there for him today, he'd betrayed that trust. That was how his morals worked.

"Thanks," He muttered to the three who had delivered Kouda safely back to the classroom. "Really. I mean it."

Midoriya placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a small nod before moving over to his seat, Uraraka and Iida following. It seemed they were going to chat about something else entirely.

"You shouldn't place such a burden on yourself," Shouji muttered to his friend. "You have no reason to be guilty here."

"I let a friend down," He replied gruffly, taking his seat.

Shouji gave a loud huff before turning away, irritated. "It's that attitude that causes problems, you know," He added as he walked away, leaving Tokoyami suddenly very confused.

"It was really scary," Kouda admitted, his head now resting in his arms. "Everyone was so scared. It wasn't just me. I could feel it... Everyone was terrified..."

The silence that fell over the three of them after that wasn't unheard of. They'd been considered the quietest trio in the class, but Tokoyami could feel a vibe that wasn't present before. The air was tense and he knew it was probably his own attitude that was causing it. But he couldn't simply change who he was or how he felt. And he'd managed to tick off Shouji with the way he handled the situation. Just great.

 _ **"You handled that spectacularly,"**_ Dark Shadow hissed.

 _"What do you want?"_ He thought, leaning on his hand as he glanced around the classroom that was starting to fill up.

 _ **"Just telling you how good of a friend you are, caring so much about Kouda's well being and all that."**_

 _"More like you wanting me to feel even worse than I already am,"_ He grumbled back, aware of what Dark Shadow was doing.

He'd learned from a very young age that his Quirk companion fed off of his own guilt and insecurities. It was something he had been taught to watch out for and he knew that letting Dark Shadow in on those thoughts was certainly not helping at all.

Dark Shadow didn't have time to respond as Aizawa stumbled into class, his eyes looking around at all of the students who had already sat down and quietened down. "Alright, ignoring today's incident," He started, glancing around at the class. "It's turned into a class with three instructors, All Might and me, and one other person."

The whole class seemed interested in this development, small murmurs rushing through the room as they all pondered what he meant by it 'turning into' something. But it was Sero who spoke up, lifting his hand before shouting, "So what will we be doing?"

"Disasters, shipwrecks and everything in between," Aizawa stated. "Today is rescue training!"

He could see Shouji tense up next to him as he glanced around the class, most of the students seemingly excited about the prospect of rescue training. It was a vital part of superhero culture and no matter what sort of Hero you were, rescuing civilians was certainly an important aspect of the job. His Quirk, while more battle based, would certainly have it's uses in darker areas like chasms.

"Perhaps I'll finally be able to use my skills," He heard Shouji mutter.

"I wonder if there'll be any animals?" Kouda timidly asked.

"Hey, I'm not done," Aizawa called out, everyone quickly turning back to him. "You can decide if you want to wear your costume or not this time. Because there are probably costumes that limit your abilities too. The training will take place off campus, so we're taking a bus."

Aizawa turned away from the class and slowly walked over to the door. "That is all. Start getting ready."

With a small wave, their teacher strolled out of the classroom, leaving them to ponder about what to wear and what not to wear with their costumes. Many of them had extra gear like helmets that would be rather distracting during a rescue, but then you had Tokoyami's gear, which was already perfectly fine for his needs.

As long as he had the cloak to harness Dark Shadow's power, he would be fine. Without it, Dark Shadow would suffer severely in the sunlight.

That being said, getting changed was a very different affair from what he was used to. Usually he'd hang around the changing rooms and wait for Shouji so that they could walk to class together. But this time Shouji had already gone ahead of him, changed and left before he'd even had a chance to say anything.

Kouda stayed behind, giving Tokoyami an understandingly sympathetic frown, but it did nothing to change the, now, soured mood of his day. Was he wrong for feeling guilty about Kouda? He could have done something to make it better for their friend and he didn't, he had every right to be annoyed.

"You don't need to worry about Shouji," Kouda mumbled as they left the changing rooms. "He's not gonna be mad forever."

"I'm more concerned as to how I made him mad in the first place," He replied with a groan. "I felt guilty, sue me."

"I'd rather not. I don't think we'd be able to afford the lawyers..." Kouda chuckled nervously.

Normally Tokoyami would laugh alongside his joke, but today he simply frowned, stalking forwards upset. The last thing he needed was Kouda telling him that things would be alright. Rationally, he knew that things would be fine. That friends got annoyed with each other all the time. But still, Shouji had said just half an hour before that they were best friends. And that was something Tokoyami didn't wish to break.

"Tokoyami, please," Kouda muttered. "Don't blame yourself. Shouji's just stressed."

He ignored him.

* * *

The bus journey to the rescue training center was surprisingly calm for the class. They had all taken their seats on the bus and from the back left corner of the bus, he could see that a majority of the class were chatting with Midoriya. He seemed extremely nervous when Tsuyu started talking, but aside from that it seemed like the normal banter that the class had.

Shouji was sitting in silence, eyes closed next to Todoroki, on the other side of the bus to him. The boy had his arms crossed and tense, as if he was extremely upset with something. And Tokoyami knew, just by the way his head was turned just far enough away, that Shouji was still mad at him.

With a heavy sigh, he leaned back, closing his eyes and letting his head lean towards the window. Just like that day with the Entrance Exam, they were going far off campus. Here, there were luscious fields of grass and trees dotting the landscape. He could see a small river that led into a lake far in the distance and overall it all felt quite tranquil.

He could see Kouda sitting a row ahead of him, also staring out of the window at the greenery around them. Out of everyone in the class, Kouda was probably the most in touch with nature, his Quirk being telepathy with animals. He could get animals to do whatever he wanted without question.

He was extremely hesitant with Tokoyami when they first started talking about their Quirks because of his bird-features, but Tokoyami had slowly explained to Kouda that while he was look bird-like, his mind was just like anybody else's and that Kouda shouldn't worry about accidentally controlling him or whatever.

"You look frazzled, Tokoyami," He heard a voice whisper beside him.

He glanced at Momo, who was sitting there with a concerned stare on her features. "Don't you normally sit with Shouji?"

"We're..." He paused, eyes glancing over at the tall boy. "Having a disagreement."

"About?"

He sighed. "It's nothing really, stupid stuff."

"We're teenagers. Stupid stuff comes par for the course." Momo gave him a reassuring smile. "So what stupid problems do you have?"

"I was feeling guilty about Kouda getting lost in the crowd earlier," He whispered, pointing at the quiet boy on the row ahead. "Shouji and I weren't actually in the cafeteria so we couldn't help out."

"And you're feeling guilty because what exactly?"

"It's not for what I did do but what I didn't do," He admitted, head drooping.

Momo hummed in response, giving him an inquisitive glance, "So you're playing what if?"

"I'm not playing anything."

"It's a figure of speech. I mean, you're thinking about what you could have done instead of moving forwards," She explained. "I must admit, I'm not surprised. Most guys that dress in all black tend to bottle up their inner guilt."

"I'm not emo," He grumbled, glancing away, his feathers bristling from the accusation.

"I never said _that_ ," She laughed. "But if you want my advice, try not to let it get you down."

"It's not as simple as that," He countered, frowning.

"Nothing's simple. But if we don't keep moving forwards, we'll never be true Heroes. No matter how you feel or what happens, moving forwards is the best move. And forgetting about some extra guilt - Well you'd do good to leave it all at the door."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the brakes and Aizawa's voice calling out, "We've arrived."

Momo got up, leaving Tokoyami at the window seat, but not before turning and whispering, "Just think about what I've said. Try and smile every once in a while as well."

* * *

"Everyone, I have been waiting for you!"

All of the heroes gasped as they came face to face with their third mystery teacher. A large space suit, like that of an astronaut, was what greeted them all as they arrived and everyone was definitely surprised. They hadn't expected to come face to face with a famous Hero like Thirteen after all.

Although perhaps Tokoyami _should_ have expected the guest appearance of Thirteen as their teacher. Space Hero Thirteen was centered around disaster work and rescue operations, making him an expert in how to save lives efficiently and quickly. With his Black Hole Quirk, he was able to rescue countless lives.

"Alright, let's head inside without delay," The spaceman announced, pointing with his armoured white space suit towards a large domed structure behind them.

Tokoyami found himself hanging near the very back of the group along with Satou, who gave a small wave but nothing more to the bird-man. _**"Ever the conversationalist, that one,"**_ Dark Shadow said.

"I'm inclined to agree with you for once," He admitted, muttering out loud.

Everyone loved Satou but he didn't really do much aside from his cakes. His Quirk, while certainly strong, made him quite, for lack of a better word, dumb, as a result. It would take a lot of force to bring his Sugar Rush Quirk down, but as his brain cells dwindled, similarly to Kaminari's Quirk when used at full power, it was a high risk reward.

Shouji and Kouda were both near the front of the group, talking quietly to each other, while he stood in the back brooding. He wanted nothing more than to go up to them and act like everything was okay. Hell, he knew their falling out was stupid and uncalled for, but Momo was right. Teenagers were stupid and so was he.

"A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, etc," Thirteen announced as they walked through the doors into the dome.

And there, the class could see just what made this place so special. Those very conditions Thirteen had announced, as well as many more locations, had been created in painstakingly accurate detail in various sections of the dome. A large mountain range, a dense forest, various ruined cities hit by fires, storms, flooding at whatever else. If you could think of a natural disaster, it was there.

"It is a training ground that I made with different types of accidents and disasters. It is called the Unforseen Simulation Joint, or USJ for short!"

Thirteen was so wrapped up in his explanation that he failed to notice Aizawa walking up to him until a few moments after his exclamation of USJ! "Where's All Might? He was supposed to meet us here."

Whatever Thirteen had said in reply, it seemed they didn't want the class to hear as their tones shifted to quiet whispers, which none of the class seemed able to pick up on. He imagined Shouji had probably heard it thanks to his ears but he could hardly ask given the circumstances.

"Actually, before we begin," Thirteen announced, turning back to the students. "I do have a thing or two... or three... or four... or five... maybe six... no seven..."

 _ **"Any longer and whatever civilians you'd be saving would be dead,"**_ Dark Shadow drawled.

"Everyone, I am sure you are aware of my Quirk, Black Hole. I can suck up anything and turn it to dust," Thirteen finally began to explain, the class nodding along to his explanation.

"You've been able to use that Quirk to save people from all kinds of disasters, right?" Midoriya stated excitedly. If anyone had done their hero research, it was him.

"Ye, but it is a power that can kill easily. Some of you also have Quirks like that, right?" He stated, looking around the group. Tokoyami froze up hearing this. He knew how much of a danger his Quirk was when untamed and definitely knew the risks. "In a superhuman society, personal Quirks have been certified and stringently regulated, so that doesn't seem to be a problem at first glance."

Thirteen's voice had taken on a much more serious tone from when they had first been introduced and now he could definitely feel that energy of a Pro-Hero radiating from the Space man. "However please do not forget that there are many Quirks that can easily kill with one wrong step. With Aizawa's physical fitness test, you found out about the possibility of your own hidden powers."

"And with All Might's person to person combat training I think you experienced the danger of using those powers against others. This class is a fresh start. You shall learn how to use your Quirks to save people's lives. You do not have powers so you can harm others."

Thirteen turned back towards the USJ facility, pointing out at the many different zones that surrounded them. "I hope you leave here with the understanding that you have powers in order to help others."

And with that, Thirteen gave a bow and a thanks, to the many cheers of the classmates around them. Tokoyami cracked a small smile at the speech, taking the message on board. To help others.

"All right then, fir-" Aizawa suddenly cut himself off, a sudden darkness envelping the group for no more than a second. The lights had flickered on and off.

"The fountain," Midoriya gasped, pointing forwards, the rest of the group following his gaze.

The fountain seemed to stop for a few moments, as if short circuiting. And then it happened.

One moment, nothing was there, the next moment the very air in front of the fountain began to bend, twisting and contorting in among itself, dark purple mist releasing itself from the very cracks in the air.

Aizawa span around, eyes widened, any false pretenses of fatigue gone in favor of a great concern for his students.

And there, where the purple mist had begun to form, now hovering like a circular orb in the center of the room, it suddenly ripped open. And all that stared out as a hand, an eye and a tuft of light blue hair.

"Get together and don't move!" Aizawa barked, turning to his students, fear in his eyes. "Thirteen, protect the students!"

"W-What's that?" Kirishima asked, pointing out at the fountain.

There, from the purple mist that continued to rise, engulfing the main plaza, figures began to emerge. People of different shapes and sizes, big and small, mutated and human. All with that same killer look in their eyes.

Tokoyami realized the moment they had emerged, but one look at his teacher, who was putting on his goggles for battle, he found himself trembling from the tension.

"Those are villains."

* * *

 **A/N - Oh, I'm excited for the next chapter! USJ is going to be fun and I've been dying to reach this point! But Tokoyami, what are you doing man? Shouji's just annoyed because you're so down about things. Perk up a bit man!**

 **Kouda's sort of caught in the middle, whether he wanted to be or not, bless him. Momo's trying at least.**

 **Make sure to leave a review and I'll see you next chapter!**


	13. Tokoyami's Decision! Shouji's Moment!

**Chapter 13 - Tokoyami's Decision! Shouji's Moment!**

For a brief moment, the world had stood still for Tokoyami and the rest of Class 1-A. Up to this point, becoming a Hero had been something of a dream for many of the students and everyone had their own visions on how glamorous the life of a Hero could and would be. But nobody could have expected the grim reality that was about to face them as the amount of villains that began pouring out of the dark purple portal began to grow.

"The trespassing this morning was the work of these scumbags after all, huh," Aizawa grimaced.

Tokoyami's eyes flashed across the various villains that had made themselves known. Different Quirks, shapes and sizes, mutants, humans, they were all there. But above all, he could feel a clear aura of pure malice coming from those few at the back. The large bird-like creature with the exposed brain, the dark misty figure that seemed made out of the wisps itself and the one standing in the middle.

Light blue hair, hands adorned across his body and face in a dark jumpsuit.

It was like a flash shot through his brain, his head snapping towards Shouji, who stood on the other end of the room. _"Could it be, back at that place..."_

He could hear Shouji's words in his mind, the description repeating itself - _"There's a man that's veered away from the rest of the media. It looks like he's heading around the school building to the windows near the Teacher's Lounge. Light blue hair, wearing a dark black hoodie."_

"Mr Aizawa!" He called out, "That one in the back, with the hands! He was in the school earlier! Shouji and I saw him!"

"He must have found our teaching schedule then," Aizawa grimaced, his bandages now raised, ready to pounce.

"There's no way they could get into a hero school!" Kirishima cried out, pointing towards the massive group, a nervous look developing on his features, but he was interrupted as Momo pushed forwards.

"Teacher! What about the trespasser sensors!" She called out to Thirteen.

Thirteen tilted his head slightly, looking back at her, "We have them, of course, but..." Thirteen trailed off, concerned.

"Did they only appear here or around the whole school?" Todoroki asked calmly, before answering his own question. "Either way, if the sensors are not responding, that means they have someone with a Quirk that can cancel that out. An isolated area separated from the main campus during a time when a class is supposed to be here."

Tokoyami turned to Todoroki, clenching his fists as he knew what the other was going to say, "They might be fools, but they're not dumb. This surprise attack was carefully planned with some sort of goal in mind."

But what could their goal be? Murdering the U.A. Students before they could even start learning? Causing a riot that would have backlash on the community itself or perhaps something far deeper. What had changed at U.A. that year to give them a reason to actually attack.

Before he could even think, "Thirteen, start the evacuation. Try calling the school. These villains even had something to counteract the sensors. It's possible someone with a radio-wave-type Quirk is interfering." Thirteen nodded, but Aizawa wasn't finished yet. "Kaminari. You try contacting the school with your Quirk too."

"What about you, sir? Will you fight by yourself?" Midoriya asked, genuine concern rattling across his face. "With that many, even if you can erase their Quirks... Eraser Head's fighting style is capturing after erasing the enemy's Quirk." Midoriya looked away, unable to face his teacher, "A frontal battle is..."

"You can't be a Hero with just one trick," Aizawa replied calmly. The class couldn't even ponder what he meant as he gave his final order. "I'm leaving it to you Thirteen."

One moment, Eraser Head was there, the next minute his wrappings had launched him away and into the fray.

"Now, we need to leave!" Thirteen announced, the class standing there numb for a moment as Aizawa launched himself into a trio of goons, wrapping, binding and slamming them all into each other with his alloys. He wasn't a pro-hero for nothing. "Come on! Eraser Head is buying us time!"

The class quickly recovered from their momentary stupor, the class turning around to head back out the way they came. Tokoyami, however, barely turned, finding that his body was feeling tenser than he would have liked as he moved. Apparently fear was a thing and while he was sure everyone was feeling terrified, that didn't change just how out of character it seemed.

His mind seemed to be moving in slow motion and he found himself wondering just what they needed to do. Escape right? Then how come his legs wouldn't move? Why on earth couldn't he focus? "What the hel-"

"Tokoyami, move!" A voice growled, finding himself suddenly being dragged by the arm in a tight grip. His eyes darted forwards, blinking away the feeling of slowness to see Shouji pulling him along.

"S-Shouji?"

"Snap out of it, get out of your head and start moving!" His friend barked back, still dragging him along.

 _"Get out of my head... What...?"_

Was that fear he felt just in his head? He'd dealt with tons of problems since joining U.A. and this was what was concerning him? Now they were accosted by actual villains and he was panicked while all of his classmates kept their composure. Damnit, Shouji was right on this one.

"R-Right," He stammered, his feet now beginning to feel like his own again as he quickly began to pick up the pace, moving from behind Shouji to his side.

"Good, the last thing we need right now is you getting hurt," Shouji continued. "Like hell am I letting you, or anyone else get hurt today."

There was a fire to his voice that Tokoyami could only admire as they caught up to the main class, wondering just how much this was spurring his best friend on. They had been disagreeing all day, but the clearest sign of a real threat and Shouji had dropped all that just to make sure he was okay. He was lucky to have a friend like Shouji, he realized.

"We're almost there!" Kirishima called out excitedly.

But then everything changed. "I won't let you escape."

Purple mist began to appear, warping around the front of the group, stretching out to bar their passage to the outside. And a pair of glowing yellow eyes were the only hint that there was something deeper to this darkness than what they first could see.

"Nice to meet you. We are the League of Villains. It may be presumptuous of us, but we have invited ourselves in to your lovely U.A. High School." A strangely dignified disembodied voice announced. "In order to have All Might, the Symbol of Peace, take his last breath."

 _"What!?"_ His mind went into a haywire. They were after All Might? They knew he'd be teaching with Thirteen and Aizawa so they'd shown up. And with this guy's warp style Quirk, they must have easily amassed a group of villains to help fight. _"This is bad."_

"I believe All Might should have been here. Has there been some kind of change? Well..." The Dark Mist suddenly began to spread to their left and right, Tokoyami feeling Shouji's grip lighten on his arm for just a brief moment. "That is neither here nor there. This is the part I am to play."

Thirteen moved forwards, finger hole opening to activate his Quirk, when from the side of the class, Bakugou and Kirishima both charged forwards. Tokoyami felt Shouji charge forwards in an attempt to grab them, but to no avail.

"Did you consider that you'd get beaten by us before you got to All Might?" Kirishima cockily announced slamming his hardened fist towards the creature, Bakugou launching an explosion as well. They connected, Bakugou's explosion causing smoke to erupt from the explosion's aftermath, making it difficult to see.

The resulting shockwave burst through the group, pushing Tokoyami backwards, knocking him a few paces backwards in surprise. Kirishima and Bakugou seemed pleased with themselves, Bakugou letting out a shout of triumph. But then that polite voice cut it's way into their heads.

"Oh dear, I almost forgot. That's right. Even if you are students, you are excellent little golden eggs." A glint of yellow and those piercing eyes began to glare back at the group, Tokoyami's feathers bristling uncomfortably under it's glare. "Now for why I'm here."

"Move you two! Get away!" Thirteen cried out, sprinting towards Bakugou and Kirishima.

But it was too late, "My job is to scatter you all," The creature announced grandly, mist beginning to swirl around the entire group. "And torture you all to death!"

The mist lurched forwards enveloping the class in a single moment. Tokoyami saw Iida burst through the crowd, snatching Uraraka and Satou before sprinting to the side, escaping through the one gap in the mist that stood there. Shouji launched forwards, covering Sero and Mina from the brunt of the blast, his tentacles searching for other students to protect, while everyone else began to panic.

Shouji, looking back, saw Tokoyami further away than he thought and their eyes met, Tokoyami moving towards him as the darkness began to close in around them.

"Tokoyami!" His friend shouted, pushing one of his duplicate arms towards him, extending his hand.

Tokoyami lunged forwards, ready to grasp Shouji's hand and hold on tight when something in the corner of his eye made him stop for a moment.

He saw Kouda, alone, hands raised in a vulnerable fighting pose, the dark mist swirling around him as he shakily tried to put on a brave face. Kouda was a timid boy and while his Quirk was powerful, against such a menacing villain, he could see that Kouda was finding it difficult to cope on his own.

"Tokoyami! Take my hand!" Shouji shouted, panicked. "Please!"

For a moment, time seemed to stand still for Tokoyami. It was similar to that day in the Entrance Exam where he had to make the choice, allow Shouji to fall or save him. And as his eyes darted between Shouji, who was desperately reaching out for him, and Kouda, who fearfully looked around, lips trembling, he had a choice to make.

"Sorry Shouji," He said, turning away from Shouji's arm, much to his friend's surprise and horror. "But I am not leaving Kouda alone in a situation like this again!"

And with that, he turned to Kouda, launching himself forwards towards the quiet with a calm resolve. Shouji could only save so many people and he needed to stop acting like an idiot and start thinking like a Hero! This was their job, to rescue others!

"Kouda!" He shouted, the boy turning to him, surprised. Tokoyami slammed into the boy, knocking them both down to the ground as a section of dark mist began to surround the path Tokoyami had used to get to Kouda.

As he looked back, just in the smallest crack of the mist, he could see Shouji looking at him, wide-eyed with serious concern in his eyes. But all he could do was smile back. One simple smile to show that they were okay, hopefully that would keep Shouji calm enough to help the others and stop focusing on him.

"T-Tokoyami!" Kouda spluttered, clutching to him for dear life as the darkness began to enclose them, tighter and tighter until suddenly all they could see was the darkness. He kept clutched to Kouda, refusing to let the boy go for anything, feeling the darkness trying to tear them apart.

But he'd let his friend down once today, he wasn't about to let him down for a second time. Not for anything!

* * *

"Tokoyami!" Shouji cried out, trying to move his arm to reach through the dark smoke where his friend had just stood.

Tokoyami had launched himself away from the group to go after Kouda, who had been too far away for Shouji to reach him, and the underlying frustration at not being able to help his two closest friends in the class was already weighing on him. The only support that he had was that single solitary smile that Tokoyami had sent his way as the mist had begun to close, as if reassuring him during a villain attack would help make him any less worried.

Shouji was quite simple when it came to his goal here. Protect his classmates. During the battle training, he was proved to be quite inefficient thanks to being paired with Todoroki of all people, but one note-worthy aspect of his abilities was his powerful heightened senses. All Might told him that he'd be very efficient at rescue operations as he'd be able to locate people easily with his Quirk.

And today was supposed to be the day where he would be able to prove his usefulness. Everyone else in the class had at least had some sort of break through moment, some way to show off their Quirks and why they wanted to be a Hero. Sure, Shouji's physical capabilities were up there, but there was a big difference between his classmates assuming and seeing his Quirk.

He wanted to make the world a better place and ensure that people could live in safety and peace. That was his main goal for becoming a hero. He had no need for the money or the fame, he didn't want much, just the power to keep others safe and protect everyone.

And even now he couldn't save his two closest friends from being swallowed up by the dark mist surrounding them from that big shot Villain.

Suddenly, the Dark mist dissipated, dispersing into the air before summoning itself back into that Villain's humanoid form. His arms released their grips on Sero and Ashido, the two of them quickly scrambling upwards. Iida, Satou and Uraraka also moved towards them, Thirteen standing between them and the Villain, Quirk at the ready.

"Where did everybody else go?" Sero gasped.

Shouji's eyes widened, summoning eyes through his Quirk to look around their entire vicinity. Nothing. Everyone else in the class had vanished from the platform.

"Shouji, is everyone still here? Can you check?" Iida asked quickly, determination etched across his face.

He quickly honed his senses, trying to focus on what signatures his friends and classmates would be giving off. He could sense the villains all across the complex, scattered and moving. And then there, flashes of what felt like the other students. As far as he could tell, everyone had simply been scattered around the building and not injured at least.

"Everyone's scattered, but they're all in this building," He explained, watching as his classmate's expressions changed from concern to relief. And he felt the same. At least nobody had been harmed during that attack.

"Damn it," Sero growled. "Physical attacks can't hit him, and he can warp things... His Quirk is actually the worst!"

They could only stand in silence, unsure as to how to progress. Shouji himself could only watch as his classmates continued to falter in their convictions at the strange enemy. The rest of the class were all scattered but as long as they were together, he was sure they'd be alright. They just had to be fine.

"Class rep, I entrust this duty to you," Thirteen announced quickly, Iida tensing up at being called. "Run to the school and tell them about what is happening here!"

Everyone tensed up at this. To get to the school, Iida would have to get past this black mist Quirk otherwise it'd be all for nothing. "The alarms are not sounding and our phones don't have signal. The alarm system is based on infrared rays. Even though Eraser Head is erasing people's Quirks left and right, they are still not working, which means they must have someone with an interference Quirk who's been hiding since they arrived."

 _"Someone who's been hiding?"_ Shouji thought, mulling it over in his head. As long as that person stays hidden, they'd have no chance of escaping this place and his classmates, while strong, wouldn't be able to hold on forever. They needed help.

"It would be faster for you to run than for us to find that person."

"But it would be a disgrace as class rep to leave everyone behin-"

Where had he heard that one before. Iida was taking on the weight of the class, just like a certain idiot best friend of his did with Kouda. It was not their burden to bear and he was getting tired of people putting their morals into question when lives were on the line. He was ready to voice his opinion when-

"Get out of here, Emergency Exit!" Satou growled, taking a few steps towards the mist. "If you can get outside, there are alarms. That's why these guys are only doing this inside, right?"

"As long as you go outside," Sero explained. "They won't follow you! You can outrun this fog with those legs of yours!"

"Use your Quirk in order to save others!" Thirteen explained.

Such is the duty of a Hero. To save others with their Quirks. And Shouji needed to hear that now more than ever. He had doubts on how useful he could be, he'd been useless for all of their lessons so far, but even he could change the tide of the battle. "Get moving Iida!" He stated as he readied himself to fight.

"Even if you have no other choice," The Villain proclaimed, yellow eyes glinting across the group to Iida, who had gotten into gear, ready to run. "You are all idiots for talking about your plans in front of the enemy!" The dark mist slammed forwards, launching towards the group, but Thirteen, taking a step towards the Villain, was ready.

"We did it because it doesn't matter if we're found out!" Thirteen exclaimed, opening the suction cap on his suit to activate his Black Hole Quirk. "Black Hole!"

"Ah, I see," The Villain exclaimed, totally calm as his mist was being sucked into the void of Thirteen's suit. "That is an astounding Quirk. However, Thirteen, you are a hero who works to rescue people from disasters. As expected, your battle experience..."

Shouji could feel something horrible was about to happen. His eyes darted from the main body of mist to Thirteen. And then he noticed the tiny speck of purple forming behind Thirteen. "Your battle experience is less than half that of a normal hero."

The speck behind thirteen ripped open, the Black Hole's suction moving through the Villain and emerging from the portal that had opened up just behind Thirteen.

"A warp gate," Thirteen choked out.

Shouji and the others could only watch as the destructive force of Black Hole suddenly began to tear at the back of it's owner's own suit, Thirteen panicking as his own suit began to crack from the back, slicing and tearing itself apart as it began to crumble into dust. "H-He got me..." Thirteen spluttered, falling to the ground with a thud.

"TEACHER!" Ashido screamed fearfully.

"Iida, run! Hurry!" Satou roared.

Iida hesitated for a moment, Shouji ready to shout at him himself when a massive burst of flames sent Iida roaring towards the exit.

But as he burst off, Shouji saw the dark mist was beginning to follow him. Iida would still have to deal with the warp gates and Satou and Sero were both still from surprise. If Iida got caught...

His legs were moving before he even had time to register what was happening, sprinting towards where Iida and the black mist had made themselves known. _"I will not let another of my classmates vanish because of this Villain!"_

He leaped forwards, springing across the walkway towards Iida, who had just put on the brakes, unable to stop his momentum from moving into the dark mist. Shouji only had one shot at this, he had to make it count. Raising all six of his arms, he felt himself soar over Iida, slamming down into the dark mist with surprising speed.

He could feel the dark mist straining already on his arms, trying to break free as Iida looked on in shock.

 **"GO!"**

Never before had he shouted something with such conviction before, but he knew that Iida needed to escape! And he was the only person blocking the mist from attack their class rep. He would rescue the class and make sure this villain stayed down for as long as possible!

Suddenly, he felt himself tumble, dragging the mist down with him as he went into a roll, slamming into the ground with serious force. "Hurry!"

And then Iida was off once again, zooming ahead towards the doors.

Suddenly the mist was gone, disappearing into the air, his head snapping back to the main body that was standing back near the others. The mist was darting forwards and Shouji couldn't move fast enough to catch it. Damnit, what were they going to do!

And then he saw it. Right in the corner of his eye, Uraraka had launched herself at the figure, grabbing a hold of some sort of object swirling inside the mist. And with her Quirk, the fog suddenly began to lift, launching upwards towards the ceiling. "I don't know the theory behind it, but if he's wearing something like this then it must mean he has a physical body!" She announced, launching the body upwards. "GO IIDA!"

The fog, from the air, launched towards Iida as it floated, but Sero's tape flew through the air and hit it's mark first, Satou grasping onto the tape and pulling back with a roar.

And then they could see the sunlight streaming in, and then Iida was gone, bursting out into the open air en route to the school.

"Shouji! Are you alright?" He heard Sero shout, watching as the tape user and the rest of the group began to gather around Thirteen. His eyes darted towards them, then up into the air where the purple mist had begun to vanish, probably moving for the retreat. Iida had broken out, they had lost their advantage to the students.

"I'm fine," He grunted, pushing himself up from his position on the floor with a stumble. "How is Thirteen?"

"Still breathing!" Ashido answered fearfully. "We'll keep an eye on him! But what do we do now?"

"What about everyone else?" Satou asked, pointing back out towards the city.

What about everyone else? A good question. Shouji began to enhance his senses once more, but what he sensed as he scanned the building for life, was interesting indeed.

* * *

 **A/N - I had so much fun writing this chapter! I've been planning on getting into Shouji's head for a while now and I thought, USJ is the perfect time to do it. He finally got his moment, protecting Iida from Kurogiri and if he hadn't done that, Iida would not have escaped. So props to you Shouji!**

 **That being said, with everyone split up, Tokoyami and Kouda have been forced into an unknown part of the USJ, Shouji and the others can really only watch until help arrives and the USJ arc is only just getting started. I've got another two chapters of this arc left, damnit!**

 **Next chapter, Tokoyami and Kouda in the Windswept City. Let's see how they fare in a storm!**


	14. Battle of the Windswept City! Control!

**Chapter 14 - Battle of the Windswept City! Control!**

A never ending darkness pressed against the two students who were currently clutching each other for dear life as they were sucked through the black mist. Tokoyami and Kouda both were holding onto each other tightly, Tokoyami gritting his teeth as he felt himself being pushed and pulled in all different directions. He could feel Kouda trembling underneath him, just barely keeping a hold.

Suddenly his eyes were accosted by a bright light, the darkness giving way to the rush of fresh air, rain and wind. From the moment the darkness dissipated, he became acutely aware of the wind rushing past his face, brushing his feathers back. Kouda was clutched onto him tightly, refusing to look anywhere, head buried in Tokoyami's cloak.

With a sudden realization, Tokoyami realized that they were not being hit by wind, but rather they were falling from the sky. Below them, a ruined cityscape painted in a grey dull colour, spread out before them, skyscrapers half collapsed and eroded by the wind and rain that seemed to be perpetually falling from the dome's roof.

"Kouda, brace yourself," He shouted, the other boy clutching on for dear life. "Dark Shadow, stop our fall!"

Dark Shadow burst forwards, a shout of _**"On it!"**_ as it launched towards the ground level, spreading itself across the tarmac of the road below.

Tokoyami and Kouda slammed into the ground with some force, Dark Shadow catching most of the shock, but the sudden thud that affected his right arm as he landed caused a serious spasm of pain to erupt in his limb.

Kouda was no worse for wear, having landed right on his left side. Tokoyami could see the other boy wincing in pain, but Kouda was lucky that his mutation had given him thicker skin that that of Tokoyami. Tokoyami would get away with a rather throbbing arm while Kouda would probably only walk away with a few bruises.

 _ **"Move, villains are approaching,"**_ Dark Shadow hissed, any mirth or sarcasm absent from his tone.

And that was what twigged Tokoyami off that this was a serious problem. Dark Shadow almost never took a serious tone unless his life was on the line. And if that was so...

"We need to move, now!" He whispered quietly, eyes now glancing around the windswept city that they now found themselves in, pushing himself up to his feet.

As he looked around at the ruined buildings, he could feel the rain pounding down around him beginning to soak into his cloak and clothing. Making a mental note, he realized this would make them slower with their movement, but any enemies would have the same drawbacks. He'd need to be careful not to slip either, although his boots were well suited to the job of keeping him steady.

He stuck a hand out to Kouda, pulling the other boy up from the ground, who offered a worried smile in return. Even in the darkest moments, he could always rely on his friend to at least try and be positive, despite his nerves. "Careful not to slip," He muttered, taking a few steps towards one of the abandoned houses nearby.

"Where are you two going then?" A deep voice boomed, Tokoyami spinning around, clutching Kouda's arm protectively, to face whoever had said those words.

"What the hell?" He uttered, shock in his voice.

"How did they...?" Kouda mumbled fearfully, raising his hands into a fighting stance. "Tokoyami..."

 _ **"Fumikage, the villains, they-"**_

"Have us surrounded, I know!" He barked.

For there, surrounding the two students, eight figures were waiting, two per side, twisted grins and clenched fists ready to pound the two into dust. And worst of all, in the wind and rain, Tokoyami could barely register just what they looked like through the tough conditions, meaning their Quirks would be a complete unknown to him.

"Kouda, how good are you in a fight? There are no animals here so we need to improvise!" He whispered, keeping his voice low so the eight around them couldn't hear.

Kouda, trembling, quietly whispered back, "I know some basic stuff. I'm not very confident in my abilities but I'm not useless."

That was noteworthy. Kouda had already asserted himself as more than just some bystander despite his Quirk's extreme disadvantage. To be a Hero, adapting to the situation is a requirement and if Kouda could prove himself here, they'd stand a better chance than Tokoyami had initially hoped for.

"Hey, you kids look a little lost," One of the guys said, stepping towards them, arms outstretched. He held a pair of blades in his hands and looked ready to slice. "How about I help you out?"

"Stay back," Tokoyami warned. One warning. That was all they'd get. "One step closer and you really will regret it."

The figure turned to the others, a demented smile plastered across his face, "Look at this kid, all high and mighty." The man turned back to Tokoyami, a crazed glint in his eyes. "When I cut open your insides, then you'll be the one regretting it."

He took a step forwards and Tokoyami could only watch as the rest, suddenly spurned on, began to charge towards the two of them.

"Now Dark Shadow!" He shouted, summoning his Quirk from his cloak to slam forwards, shaped like a fist, towards the bladed man. With a yelp, the man was forced backwards, slamming into the wall of a building behind them with a crack.

"This kid's got a fast Quirk," One of the others called out, Tokoyami catching on to a slight sense of disbelief in his voice. Had they not known about their Quirks before hand then? These guys all seemed threatening but if they had no idea what they were up against, they'd have the element of surprise. "Charge at em! He can't hit us all!"

The entire group of fighters swarmed the pair, Tokoyami becoming acutely aware of just how confined he and Kouda were in the street. "Dark Shadow, watch my sides!" He called out, deciding to take the fight to them.

Bursting forwards, he moved towards the man in front of him, a guy with what seemed like razor sharp hair, readying his fists beneath his cloak to fight. The man swung his hair towards Tokoyami, the boy ducking to the left side, feeling a slight slice across his cheek. As it stung, he became very aware that this was a real battle. That had been a serious injury and any mistakes could be fatal.

He felt Dark Shadow slam into another of the assailants, knocking them out with relative ease before moving on to the next. Kouda had found himself in a fist fight with one of the smaller ones, a girl with some serious brass knuckles. But as Tokoyami glanced back at his friend, he was surprised to see that Kouda was actually keeping pace with the girl, blocking many of her punches from connecting.

Kouda slammed his fist forwards in a karate chop motion, smacking into the girl's neck, her eyes widening as she fell to the ground, incapacitated. Kouda had managed to hit a pressure point that knocked her out cold. That was a seriously impressive move. "Tokoyami!" Kouda called out in horror, looking towards him.

 _"Right, this guy,"_ He thought, ducking away from the assailant's razor hair once again. He slammed his fist forwards, smacking into the man with some force. But his physical strength wasn't exactly up there and hand to hand combat wasn't his strong suit. _"Dark Shadow! I've stunned him, attack!"_

 **"On it! This guy's no match for me!"**

Dark Shadow roared, flitting from the guy he was currently tangling with to Tokoyami's target in the blind of an eye. The man with the dangerous hair was overwhelmed instantly, Dark Shadow slamming him straight into one of the buildings, shattering glass and concrete as the ground started to shake.

"Kouda, we need to move!" He quickly shouted, whirling away from where Dark Shadow had thrown the thug. "That building's coming down!"

Kouda meekly nodded, looking up at the building that had become unstable in the fight, Tokoyami sprinting away from it without even looking back to see where the villains were. If they were crushed here, it wouldn't really matter how many villains they defeated.

"In there," Kouda whispered as Tokoyami got close to him, pointing to one of the abandoned buildings across the square. As long as they got in there without being seen, they'd be able to rest for a few moments. "Use the smoke," Kouda explained, pointing to the falling building.

"Right," Tokoyami nodded, pushing forwards towards the center of the square they had found themselves in, trying to steady their speed as the building collapsed to the ground behind them, smoke and rubble spewing everywhere like an urban volcano. Kouda grabbed Tokoyami's hand, pulling him forwards now, a grim determination on the usual timid boy's face as Dark Shadow protected them from the various bits of concrete that had begun flying in their direction.

"In here!" Kouda shouted, letting go of Tokoyami before diving through an open window of a convenience store. Tokoyami joined him, launching through the open window and into the building, darting behind the main counter before any of the villains would be able to see him.

And there, they breathed a sigh of relief, safe, for the moment, from the villains that had been outside. With the building collapsed, he could hear the cries of villains calling to regroup and back off. They'd probably be a lot more hesitant now the two of them had shown they wouldn't go down so easily.

"We probably have a few minutes before they figure out where we are," He whispered to Kouda. "Dark Shadow, try and keep watch, stay out of sight."

 _ **"Already on it,"**_ Dark Shadow replied, floating off into a dark space in the store where it could peer out into the city.

"You didn't need to grab me you know," Kouda muttered, looking at Tokoyami with a rather concerned gaze. He was still trembling.

"Of course I did," Tokoyami replied, giving a reassuring smile to Kouda, squeezing his arm with fondness. "You're my friend. I'm not going to let you go it alone."

But Kouda wasn't convinced, his face scrunching up, frowning in annoyance at those words. "It was stupid. You could have been save with Shouji."

Being berated by Kouda for his actions, that was a new experience. Sure, he had acted rashly when it came to going after Kouda, but had he not been there, Kouda may not have been able to escape all of those goons on his own. He was a hero right and heroes protected their friends, regardless of the danger. That was why he even got into U.A. with the rescue points he got for doing the same thing for Shouji.

"I can handle myself," Kouda shakily muttered unconvincingly.

"It's not wrong to need help, Kouda," He replied.

"But it's wrong to always need help. If I want to be a Hero, I need to stop relying on you," He softly said, no hint of malice in his voice as he explained his thoughts. "I entered U.A. to become more confident. But..." He paused, playing with the soles of his shoes as he looked nervously away. "Today... I felt like I did back in Junior High."

Tokoyami's ears perked up at this, giving Kouda a stare that he hoped suggested that he continue with his story. It was rare that Kouda would talk about himself, what with the boy preferring to sign with most of the class aside from a select few. And even though he talked with Shouji and Tokoyami, it was never for any long periods of time. One conversation every now and then.

But as Tokoyami listened to his voice, he could hear a spark of determination, with that shy nature being drowned out by his thoughts. "I was bullied a lot," He admitted, his eyes glancing to his arms worryingly. "I hid from people and only talked with animals. My Quirk meant I didn't need to talk with people if I didn't want to... But..."

His voice trailed off, eyes beginning to water. Tokoyami, without thinking, pulled the tall boy closer, wrapping an arm around his back and pulling him close. "Hey, it's alright Kouda. I'm your friend, I won't judge you or force you to say anything." And that was the truth.

"N-No, I need to explain," Kouda grimaced, wiping away the tears with his sleeve before giving a shaky grin to his friend. "Because I don't talk to people much, big crowds overwhelm me." It seemed like such a simple fear, but the way that Kouda had said it, voice cracking as he mentioned the crowds, it all was tough for Tokoyami to hear. "And today I just- I... It was too much. Too much too quickly."

"I could have invited you outside with me and Shouji," Tokoyami sighed. "You'd have liked it. We found this wooden platform in one of the trees. It's big enough for like four or five us."

"It's not your fault, you know," Kouda stated. "Even if you'd been there, there was no way you would have known how I'd react..."

"Kouda..." He sighed. "I know it's stupid of me to feel guilty. I know. I just... If I'd known..."

"You didn't though," Kouda replied. "Shouji said you were pretty intense about this sort of stuff."

Tokoyami raised a brow, caught completely off guard at that. "Shouji said what?" He spluttered.

Kouda's cheeks flushed a bright red at this, a hand already at his mouth in utter embarrassment. "I mean, I-"

"Kouda."

"F-Fine. We were talking the other day while you were studying," The quiet boy admitted sheepishly. "We were just talking about school and stuff and you came up."

"I hope it wasn't anything too bad," He chuckled. Although in the distance he could hear the voices of the villains beginning to quieten down. He had a feeling this conversation would be ending soon.

"No! No... I mean, I was talking about how cool you were and Shouji said, 'He's my closest friend and I can feel his intensity for everything he does.' He mentioned that you treat your friendships importantly," Kouda explained, rubbing the back of his head with a rather flushed grin. "He really worries about you sometimes."

Thinking back to that moment just twenty minutes before, Tokoyami could definitely see what Kouda meant about his friend. Shouji had been desperate to keep him safe from the dark mist and had even gone out of his way to try and help him. "Okay, maybe he has a small point," He begrudgingly admitted. He had raced after Kouda, despite logic, to keep him out of harm's way after his emotions had gotten the better of him.

"You should try talking to him about things. He's really good to vent to."

"I'll tr-

 _ **"Villains approaching! You need to move, now!"**_

"Already?" He hissed, already pushing himself away from the counter towards the backdoor into the storeroom, motioning for Kouda to follow quickly. "We need a plan! We can't fight them all at the same time again."

"I-I could bait them," Kouda exclaimed quietly, his trembling features giving way to a confident stare as he looked towards the front of the store.

"I couldn't ask you to do that, Kouda!" He hissed back, hearing noise out in the streets as the voices of the villains began to close in on their location.

"I'm not asking," Kouda replied, no hint of hesitation in his voice. Kouda's eyes looked down at the ground, right fist clenching as he turned to look back at Tokoyami, his expression confident and ready. Whatever trace of timid Kouda there was had vanished for the time being and for the first time, Tokoyami realized just why Kouda had been accepted into U.A.

"You really look like a Hero," He stated plainly, Kouda's determination turning right back to shyness at the compliment. "Alright, I'm trusting you Kouda."

"But what about you? Can your Quirk take out all these villains if I lead them in here?" Kouda asked.

"Yes. Kouda, I am about to tell you something I haven't told anyone. I trust you and this information should ease your fears," He explained, taking a deep breath as he summoned Dark Shadow to him. "My Quirk, it is more powerful in the darkness. It can hard to control it's power, but in cloudy or stormy weather, it's a perfect balance. So Dark Shadow should have a massive power boost in this place."

Kouda gave a small nod. He'd understood at least. "I won't tell anyone about that, Tokoyami."

"Thank you. It's not something I wish to share with the class just yet," He admitted, looking down. Until he could control Dark Shadow in the darkness, he didn't want people knowing his strengths and weaknesses before he had a chance to control it himself. It was a simple reason, but Kouda had trusted him with that story about his past, so he knew he could trust Kouda in return. "Now then, shall we go?"

It was a simple hit and run plan, picking off the Villains one by one, but it was a plan they were determined to make work.

It started with Kouda racing out into the streets where the villains were. He'd make sure to stay hidden until most of the villains were out of sight and only appear when he'd only attract one or two of them. When they saw him, he'd lead them into one of the city's alleyways, waiting in the middle for them ready to fight in case anything went wrong.

Then as they'd get close, Tokoyami would swoop in from the sides with Dark Shadow, knocking them out as quickly as possible with one quick swipe. Thanks to the cloudy weather, Dark Shadow's power was extremely enhanced, able to deal crushing blows against opponents without problem. Although he could feel, deep in his soul, that his Quirk was trying to wrestle that power from him.

Something that he had neglected to mention to Kouda was that he could completely lose control if under the wrong circumstances. It was something he'd rather avoid as losing control meant that his Quirk would become unstable and dangerous to those around him. The last thing he needed was someone like Shouji finding out. And if he was around classmates... _"That would never happen, I wouldn't let it,"_ He thought to himself as he gave Kouda a thumbs up at the third group of villains they'd taken down.

"That makes six, right. We just need to thin their numbers and hold out until help arriv-"

Suddenly, vibrations rocked the city, Tokoyami tripping forwards into Kouda with a thud as they both quickly scrambled to keep themselves upright. Whatever had rocked the arena had then fallen silent, the sudden quake stopping as quickly as it had started.

"What on earth was that?" He asked, eyes glancing around at the city. And then he saw it, clear as day just a street away. "K-Kouda, the exit!"

The other boy span around, noticing it as well. A large set of double doors that stood out among the grey dome with their bright blue shine, about the same size as the main doors that had led into the USJ. They had taken care of most of the villains so the run to the door would be nothing problematic or crazy. This was their chance!

"Come on!" Tokoyami dashed forwards, Kouda right behind him as they launched their way towards the doors. If they could just meet up with the rest of the class, the Villains would have no chance. He only hoped that the rest of the groups were alright. Where had they all ended up... Had anyone...?

 _"Don't think about that,"_ He thought to himself grimly, suppressing his fear as he felt Dark Shadow stir from his whirling emotions. The last thing he needed was to lose control when it wasn't night time.

"Oh no you boys don't," He heard a voice suddenly cry out, head turning to see a familiar set of razor hair whipping towards Kouda faster than they could blink.

"Dark Shadow!" He shouted panicked, launching his Quirk from his cloak as fast as he could. But this time, something was different. Dark Shadow split itself into many sharp slices of darkness, sliding through the air towards the Villain with an intensity and a ferocity that he had never felt before.

And it shook him to the core.

He felt Dark Shadow connect, slicing into the Villain without remorse and he could feel his anger beginning to get the better of him. He felt himself kneeling down, breathing heavy as sweat began to drop from his forehead, mixing with the rain on his feathers. And for a short, horrible moment, his body was suddenly no longer his own.

Until he felt a hand gingerly rest itself on his shoulder, making him shudder in surprise. He turned, seeing Kouda looking extremely pale.

"I-Is that what you meant by hard to control?" He whispered somberly, his hand trembling as it rested on Tokoyami's shoulder.

Breathing heavily, Tokoyami could only look at the ground in absolute horror. He'd almost lost it. That loss of control... "Y-Yes," He replied, his voice cracking under the strain of the emotions that had begun to crash down around him. "Oh god, I'm sorry."

He felt Kouda's arms wrap around him, pulling him in for a sudden hug, unable to even react to the action, being too shaken up to even say a word. Instead, he let it happen, allowing Kouda to rub his back and calm him down as he tried to focus on his emotions.

Deep breaths. Inhale... Exhale... Focus on your goal. Escape. Survive. Don't let them hurt Kouda.

"Okay, I'm fine," He choked out, Kouda shakily pulling the shaken boy to his feet. "Thank you," He spluttered out quietly, unable to keep his voice level and calm.

"It's alright Tokoyami," He heard Kouda whisper. "You're fine, we did it, okay."

"Y-Yeah, we did it," He repeated, giving a shaky smile to his friend as an attempt to reassure him.

"C'mon, let's go," Kouda said, now grasping Tokoyami's arm to pull him along. "We need to find the others."

"K-Kouda. Please. Can we keep this between us?" He asked suddenly, almost whining out the order. The last thing he wanted was for the rest of the class to know about his moment of weakness and more than that, he didn't want his teachers finding him to be a liability. He... He needed to rest. And he needed to get out of USJ first to do that.

"It'll be our secret," Kouda whispered with a smile.

* * *

 **A/N - What a weird chapter. I wanted to add more action but given it's Kouda and Tokoyami, plus just the few scenes of them in the anime, it's clear that the hit and run tactic was the main source of action. And I thought that might get repetitive.**

 **Poor razor hair guy. He really got the short end of the stick with Tokoyami flipping out. But I thought this would be a good time to show that he's not got complete control. I think it'd be interesting to see how it affects him when fighting other students in the tournament arc and how he can move past it (Let's just ignore the School Trip Arc. I cannot wait for that, that's when I can start getting deep into my own story).**

 **We need more Tokoyami, Kouda interaction fics. They are so adorable! My favourite platonic ship :3**


	15. Reunited at Last! Inner Demons!

**Chapter 15 - Reunited at last! Inner Demons!**

"Everyone's alive," Shouji choked out, breathing a massive sigh of relief as he collapsed to the ground, wiping some sweat off of his forehead. "They're wiping out the villains and doing it well."

After dealing with the fog villain, it had become clear just how separated their class had been. With only Satou, Ashido, Uraraka, Sero and himself still there to support the, now downed, Thirteen, he had been given the task of trying to find out where the rest of his class was and how they were doing. Though he couldn't sense individuals, he could sense numbers.

Two were in the Squall zone just down beneath the massive stairway leading to the fountain where it seemed three were in the water. The villains that had given the group the most concerns all seemed to be down by the fountain. He could see from here that the landslide zone had begun to glint, figuring that Todoroki was probably over there. He knew that ice glint.

He could also sense someone else from their class in the landslide zone. Two were in the ruined city, three were in the mountains and he could sense that one of them was in the forest, not moving a muscle. Whoever that was, they were either being very stealthy or very cowardly.

"Iida should be back with support soon, teacher," Uraraka whispered to Thirteen, who lay on the ground, half of his suit completely ripped apart on torn to dust by his own Quirk.

"All we can do is wait," Satou grumbled, looking out towards the various zones.

Shouji, rather than waiting, decided to hone his Quirk some more, summoning various eyes on his extra arms to see if he could magnify his vision. From far away, he thought he could see the purple mist by the fountain. That was where that villain had gone. That massive creature that looked like Frankenstein's bird pet was also down there, as was that man.

The man that he had seen earlier in the day, sneak into the teacher's lounge and rob the teaching schedule from the school. Light blue hair, a set of dark black clothing, sneakers and at the moment, a large set of hands attached all around his body. But the hand on his face was the truly disturbing one, bringing forth a rather sadistic personality that he was sure would manifest if they got close to him.

That was when his eyes darted to the water, just near the fountain, for his eyes could see three figures hiding in the water, trying to keep out of sight. Magnifying his sight was painful as it seriously strained on his senses, but he could make out the forms of Mineta, Midoriya and Asui all huddled in the water. At least they were okay. But they were extremely close to the villains.

"Guys, I can see Midoriya, Mineta and Asui all at the lake area," He called out, Uraraka looking up in shock.

"Deku! Is he alright? What about Asui?" She quickly asked, concern etched across her face.

"They're fin-"

It only took a moment for that light blue man with the hands to zoom from one place to the other, suddenly right in front of Midoriya's group. His focus shifted around, noticing the bird creature stomping on something. And then his blood ran cold, face paling, as he saw the battered and bruised body of their teacher, Aizawa, pinned down underneath the creature.

Midoriya had leaped out of the water, fist ready to punch, and then suddenly the bird creature had moved, faster than they could comprehend, towards them, blocking whatever punch Midoriya had thrown. From a distance, Shouji couldn't hear them, but he was certain they were terrified and outmatched.

So the sudden rush of smoke, the loud sound of something smashing and sunlight suddenly streaming in threw him completely off guard, spinning around to catch one glimpse of a shadow as a large, hulking figure launched through the doorway into the USJ, Shouji slipping backwards from the shockwave that the door opening had sent out. He imagined that had been felt across the whole stadium.

And as the figure landed in front of the students, Shouji's mouth's that formed on his arms couldn't help but turn into natural smiles. Was it relief? Was it faith? He had no idea, but when the man known as All Might strode into the facility, white shirt, blue tie, dressed up in teacher's garb, he couldn't help but feel happy. This was the Number One Hero, here to save the day.

"I had a bad feeling," He stated, voice reaffirming and supportive as he stepped forwards through those double doors. The facility felt silent as he strode towards the fallen Thirteen. "So I tore myself away from my chat with the principal and came. I passed Young Iida on my way and got a rough idea of the situation."

He couldn't help but hang his mouth open in complete shock, so relieved that Iida's escape had meant something, that their battle had helped get All Might here as soon as possible. All Might strode past them, tall and proud, gritting his teeth as he looked around at the carnage. They were his students and he must have been concerned.

Stopping in front of the main stairwell, right beside Shouji, he looked out across the USJ before letting out a loud, "It's fine now!" Shouji's eyes widened, knowing what was coming, seeing All Might grasp at his tie and rip it off in one fell swoop. "I am here!"

Within a few moments, All Might suddenly vanished, leaping forwards and down the stairwell in an instant with only the power that a true Pro Hero could muster. The world of the Pros, this was what they were training for. Shouji wanted to be that beacon for people who were scared. He wanted people to be happy when he showed up, able to be rescued without fear. All Might truly was a beacon for them all.

Suddenly the villains that had been populating the lower stairwell all found themselves unconscious on the ground and his eyes widened in utter shock. All Might wasn't just fast, he was moving in sonic speed. Iida could only dream of moving that fast. And then he could see All Might once again, cradling Aizawa's body.

A moment later and somehow Midoriya's group and Aizawa had been deposited just far enough away from the center of the stadium that they were out of the combat zone and he breathed another sigh of absolute relief.

"All Might is really going to save everyone," Ashido cried softly, the severity of the situation finally catching up to her as she quietly began to sob from joy.

"All Might really is amazing," Satou said, pointing at the fight where a massive cloud of smoke had begun to form around the area where All Might had landed. Shouji just watched in awe.

Shouji turned to Thirteen, who had begun to mutter, "Leave this to All Might," while also looking up at Shouji. He found himself beginning to calm now, the relief now turning to concern for the rest of the students. If All Might was dealing with the main villain, the other students would still need saving. Right?

"Hey, is that Tsuyu?!" Uraraka called out, Shouji spinning around quickly towards the stairs. And there, heading through the forest to the stairway, he could see Asui and Mineta carrying Aizawa towards them.

"We need to go and help them!" Shouji commanded, sprinting forwards down the stairwell, Uraraka and Satou in close pursuit.

"Hey guys, we need help here!" Mineta screamed from down below, Shouji already halfway down the stairs already. He jumped the rest of them, landing a few paces away from Mineta and Tsuyu, giving them a small wave and a smile as he arrived. Tsuyu, in particular, looked glad to see friends as Uraraka found her way to the bottom of the stairs.

"Tsuyu! Are you alright? Where's Midoriya?" Uraraka asked quickly.

"He ran back that way towards All Might," Tsuyu explained, pointing back in the direction of the fighting.

"We can talk about that later, we need to get Aizawa outta here," Mineta grumbled, reminding the group of why they had come down to help in the first place.

Satou and Uraraka quickly grabbed Aizawa, Shouji looking out for any other students as they began to move their teacher. And it was as they reached the bottom of the stairwell that the group heard it.

The sound of something metallic being forced open nearby. It screeched open, Shouji looking around for it's source before tracing the noise over to the grey dome that was known as the Squall Zone.

"Could it be villains?" Mineta cried out, voice cracking.

But when two figures stumbled out of the zone, Shouji had already taken off running towards them without a second thought. "Shouji!" Tsuyu called out until she noticed just who had found themselves moving out of the Squall Zone, and as she called out, her voice quietened down and a small smile graced her usually expressionless face.

"Tokoyami! Kouda!" He called out, sprinting at full force towards the two figures, who's heads snapped up at his calls.

He felt relieved when All Might arrived. Or at least, he thought he had. But seeing his two best friends in the class completely safe and sound, that was a whole other feeling altogether.

* * *

"Damnit, this door is heavy," Tokoyami groaned, pushing against the exit door of the Squall Zone with serious force, wisps of Dark Shadow helping to force the metallic doors to the side. Kouda was trying to pry open the other side of the door, having little luck.

"Don't give up Tokoyami," Kouda encouraged, the sound of rusted metal pulling apart meeting their ears.

"I'm not giving up," He shakily replied, feeling his energy renewed at the potential sound of escape. And then the metal began to open, sunlight streaming in from the rain-soaked landscape they were in.

The doors unceremoniously slid open, Tokoyami suddenly lurching forwards from the force, Kouda catching him mid fall before he could hit the ground. With a grateful smile, Tokoyami shakily took a few steps out of the gate and into the sunlight of USJ, the change in temperature seriously messing with his body as he began to shiver.

"If I end up getting a cold from this..." He grumbled silently, Kouda giving him a relieved expression.

And then, as they took a few steps forwards, they heard voices in the distance. Looking around, he could see they were just to the south-east of the main stairwell where they had started and they could see people near the bottom of the stairwell. He couldn't make out who they were from his vision alone, feeling his senses completely wearing thin.

"Tokoyami! Kouda!"

Their eyes snapped towards the voice, noticing the person that was running towards them at full speed. Suddenly he could feel enough energy to lightly grip at Kouda's arm in anticipation, feeling that weariness wash away for a short moment.

"S-Shouji," He spluttered out, still feeling wobbly from his mental experience with Dark Shadow, the taller boy finally reaching the two of them. Tokoyami took a step forwards, but then he felt his legs give way, acutely aware that his body had apparently reached his mental limit. Though he felt fine physically, his mind felt like it was in a haze, the ground rushing up to meet him.

But when he felt those arms wrap around him, catching him in their embrace, his only reaction was to simply smile at the taller boy who now had him clutched close to his chest. "What took you so long?" He asked jokingly, his voice cracking slightly.

"I could be asking you both the same thing," Shouji whispered, looking down at the boy in his arms to Kouda who looked absolutely exhausted. "Are either of you hurt?"

"We got a bit bruised from the teleport," Kouda timidly explained. "And Tokoyami got cut by one of the villains on the cheek."

That was when he became aware of the slight sting on his cheek. He'd gotten that cut back when they'd first teleported but the adrenaline had been pumping and he hadn't had time to register it. He didn't even know how deep it was. But when he raised his hand to feel the cut, he pulled away a small splatter of blood along with it.

"You both look exhausted," Shouji stated, looking down at the shattered boy beneath him. "Want me to carry you, Toko?"

"We're using nicknames again, are we?" Fumikage grinned, but his voice didn't really match his face. He wanted to show Shouji that he was fine but clearly he wasn't. Mentally, he'd thrown himself completely for a loop.

"Seriously, you can't walk, you look terrified," Shouji deadpanned, looking between Kouda and Tokoyami. "I won't ask what happened, I know you'll tell me when you're ready but... Please Tokoyami. After the day we've had, let me help you."

For a moment, all he could consider was telling the taller boy no, but in both his head and heart, he knew he wouldn't be walking around for the next few minutes with Dark Shadow's grip on his mind still ebbing away. With a sigh, Tokoyami nodded, allowing Shouji to pick him up.

"So um... what's happened while we were out?" Kouda asked quietly as Tokoyami shifted himself onto Shouji's back, feeling two of Shouji's arms wrap around his legs and waist to hold him.

Shouji paused for a moment, his eyes looking down in silence before answering, "Thirteen and Aizawa are both down."

Tokoyami felt his body tense up, Kouda eliciting an audible gasp, while Shouji could only distantly look at the ground. _"Aizawa and Thirteen...?"_ They knew that Aizawa would have been in the thick of it and could have been harmed, but Thirteen as well? What the hell had happened while they were locked in the Squall Zone?

"We had to fight our way through that mist Villain," He continued, pointing up towards the entrance of the USJ. "Iida was told to get out of here and warn the school so Satou, Sero, Uraraka and I forced the Villain to retreat and got Iida out."

"Where's the Villain now?" Tokoyami asked, keeping his voice calm and level.

"In the main square. All Might arrived a little while ago, he's dealing with them," Shouji explained, his other arm pointing to the main square where a large plume of smoke could be seen rising into the sky. "I don't know what's going on over there, but it's All Might. We shouldn't be worried."

"So what now?" Kouda asked, timidly looking over towards the main fountain.

"We get out," Shouji replied as they reached the bottom of the main staircase. It seemed that the rest of the group had already made their way up, leaving the three of them as the last few to get moving.

They hurried up the stairs without another word, Tokoyami closing his eyes for a moment to lean on Shouji, letting his mind settle down for a few minutes. He could feel his focus slowly beginning to return to him and now that they were in the light and out of the rainstorm, Dark Shadow's influence was seriously beginning to regress.

"Tokoyami! Kouda!" He heard another voice call out, opening his eyes to see that they had already made it to the top of the stairs. The students that Shouji had mentioned, as well as Ashido, Tsuyu and Mineta were all sitting there and he could see Uraraka looking over Thirteen and Aizawa.

As his eyes settled on the crumpled form of their Homeroom teacher, he felt some anger return to his soul. Those Villains had attacked their teachers, separated all the students and sent everything into limbo, but even so Tokoyami's anger turned to determination as he felt his body finally start reacting to his thoughts.

"You can put me down now," He stated calmly to Shouji, voice now more level than it had been down at the Squall Zone.

"Are you sure?" Shouji asked, concern painted clearly across his face.

Tokoyami nodded, Shouji pausing before, with hesitation, planting Tokoyami back onto the ground where he belonged. But that didn't stop Shouji's arm from snaking around his shoulder to keep him close. He didn't resist though. Even though his body felt like his own again, he'd probably stumble a few times before feeling comfortable again.

"Are you guys alright?" Satou asked, looking first at Kouda, who looked no worse for wear, then at Tokoyami. His face was a mixture of concern and relief, as was many of the students. Seeing their friends alive must have been a big relief after the trauma they had just experienced.

"I'm fine," Tokoyami stated, looking across at the other students, Kouda giving a shy nod and a thumbs up as well.

"You had us worried for a moment," Tsuyu said, hopping over to Tokoyami and Shouji. "I saw you fall over on the way up here, are you sure you're alright?"

"Really, I'm fine Tsuyu," He grumbled. "Physically at least. I was a little overwhelmed mentally, nothing more." It wasn't a lie, it just wasn't the full truth. The last thing he wanted people knowing was about how berserk his Quirk could get. The only people that knew were Kouda, his family and the school staff. His friends would never look at him the same way if he told them the truth...

"If you say so," She replied, patting him on the shoulder before hopping away to the two downed teachers.

By this point Kouda had already wandered over to the rest of the group with Satou, giving the two boys a small wave as he left, leaving Shouji and Tokoyami standing there in silence.

It was Shouji who broke it, "You lied."

Inwardly, Tokoyami tensed up, outwardly he slowly looked up at his friend, hiding that tension.

"You're not fine. I looked at your face as you left that zone. You were terrified of something," He whispered, quiet enough for nobody else to hear. "I'm guessing whatever happened, Kouda's aware, right?"

"Nothing gets past you, does it Shouji," He sighed, nodding in affirmation. "I just..."

"Tokoyami?"

"Nothing. It's nothing. I know I'm keeping a secret but I just... I don't think I'm ready yet."

They were silent for a few more moments, Shouji peering curiously at him, before letting an audible grumble of surrender. "Fine, I'm sure you'll tell me one day. Just... Promise me something."

"Promise you something?" He repeated inquisitively.

"Promise me that if something's bothering you, you'll come and talk to me."

He flashed back to his chat with Kouda in the ruined store in the Squall Zone. Hadn't he said something similar, about how Shouji was really good at listening and a great person to vent to? Sure, sometimes he'd love to talk about the things that frustrated him but he'd never wanted to bother his friends with it, especially Shouji.

"Seriously Tokoyami, whatever bothers you, whether it's work, girls..." He gave a sly pause and a mischievous smile, "Guys, I don't know, just talk with me."

Tokoyami tried to ignore the teasing, pulling up his cloak further to hide the blush that had began to snake down his neck, bristling his feathers in morbid embarrassment before nodding. "I'd like that."

* * *

 **A/N - A short chapter since I wanted to cover the Aftermath in it's own chapter, as opposed to now. There's a high chance I'll be skipping the All Might fight scenes and the teachers arriving at USJ since it's not that interesting in itself. But I'm glad to be done with the major part of USJ now!**

 **Once again, Tokoyami and Shouji interactions are so much fun and I feel like I'm giving Shouji every possible chance to carry Tokoyami around. It's just such an adorable image!**

 **I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! See ya next chapter!**


	16. The Aftermath! The Bets are On!

**Chapter 16 - The Aftermath! The Bets are On!**

Soon after the group had gathered on the main stairwell and waited for help to come, Tokoyami had found himself silently standing alone by the sides as the others crowded around the wounded teachers, or for Shouji, crowding around Mineta to keep him away from the girls. They weren't sure when exactly it had happened, but somehow the class had convinced themselves that Shouji was Mineta's guardian against the ladies.

Tokoyami had frowned at that the first time he'd heard it, grumbling about how Mineta simply needed to grow up and stop perving after every girl that so much as looked at him. The lust contained in that boy was dangerous and while Uraraka and Momo would just brush it off with an angry growl or a stray shout, everyone in the class knew just how much of a creep Mineta could be.

Shouji had picked him up one day with his arm and chucked him away and suddenly the world's most unlikely friendship had formed. Not out of any sense of actual camaraderie, but out of a necessity to keep the peace. And Tokoyami was still annoyed with it. He could tolerate Mineta to a point, but that boy knew exactly how to cross it. And knew exactly what to say to rile up some of the more emotive members of the class, mainly Kirishima and Kaminari.

"Nobody else will give him a chance and when he's not being a predator, he's actually quite intelligent," Shouji had tried to explain once before to the group, but nobody had really believed him. Mineta was Mineta and the rest of the class had their restraining orders ready to go.

It was no surprise that Mineta was now crying to Shouji about being denied the girls that he so desperately wanted. Talk about bad timing as well. Half their class was still missing, although Shouji had mentioned offhandedly that they were still alive and kicking, yet Mineta was still being so selfish just because All Might had shown up. Although Shouji had received back up in the form of a backhanded tongue slap from Tsuyu.

 _ **"He probably likes it,"**_ He heard Dark Shadow hiss from the corners of his mind.

Tokoyami's brow crinkled in irritation at that voice, not wanting to deal with his Quirk at the moment. They'd already had one major disagreement that day when he lost control and he certainly didn't want to chat with the guy that almost made him kill a Villain.

Continuing to block Dark Shadow out, his Quirk finally got the hint and regressed back into his subconscious, feeling discontent with how he had been completely ignored. Like a child who just had his toys taken away, only the toy was Tokoyami's mind.

Suddenly the dome began to shake, explosions rocking around the far side of the structure, near where the forest area had been. Smoke began to rise up, covering the majority of the dome in a sudden plume, gravel and rocks flying in all directions. And then, far above the dome, he saw what looked like a massive hole torn into the ceiling, sunlight streaming in from it's spot like a massive beacon.

"What the heck was that!?" Mineta cried out, pointing towards the whole.

"I bet that was All Might. He really is so cool," Tsuyu beamed.

 _"All Might? With power like that, you can see why he's the number one Hero. If he was able to blow a hole in the roof of the dome for whatever reason, that's terrifying to think about. One day, we'll all be Heroes like him. Will we ever be as powerful as him?"_ His thoughts were interrupted as he felt an arm on his shoulder, looking up to see Shouji towering over him.

"Did you see what that was?" He asked the taller boy, aware of his acute sight if he focused.

"It was All Might," Shouji confirmed, awestruck. "He punched the villain so hard that he launched out of the dome."

"W-Wait, that was just a single punch?" He blurted out, eyes widened in surprise.

"Yeah, seriously, to be as strong as him. That's the world of the Pros, Tokoyami."

Suddenly, as if right on cue, he heard Mina call out, "Guys, they're here!"

Everyone span around quickly, spotting a large group of people stride in through the door. Midnight, Cementoss, the Principle, Snipe, Present Mic, they were all here! Snipe lifted his gun, not saying a word before firing it forwards past the group.

It only took a moment for the battles to end after that. Snipe's bullets homed in on the enemies and took them out one by one, Shouji confirming it as he sensed the villain count drop down to near zero. In the main square, All Might and the few students that had gathered there were all rescued as the two main Villains warped away, but not before Thirteen, launching upwards, tried his utmost to capture them with his Black Hole Quirk.

* * *

It was all a blur for Tokoyami as over the next thirty minutes they found themselves being taken outside of the USJ by the police and told to wait for the rest of their class. One by one, groups of classmates emerged from the building. Momo, Kaminari and Jirou, Aoyama on his own, Ojiro and Tooru and then the large group of Bakugou, Todoroki and Kirishima.

"Out of the way, coming through," Midnight's voice called, rushing out of the USJ, someone draped across her shoulder. His eyes widened as he saw Midoriya being carried away, his arm completely fractured again.

"Is Midoriya alright?" He asked, looking around at the group of students, then to the police, concern in his voice.

"Yeah, where's Deku?" Uraraka asked, just as worried.

The officer that walked up to the group, looking them over carefully wore a large tan overcoat and hat. Unlike the students, his appearance was actually fairly plain, looking like the standard private eye detectives that you'd find in mystery novels and the such. "Your friend Midoriya is going to be treated by Recovery Girl, as is All Might. Their injuries were not too grave."

"And what about our teachers?" Ashido asked. Her voice was full of concern and she looked ready to burst into tears all over again. For someone as bubbly as her, it didn't seem right.

"Aizawa and Thirteen are in critical condition. They have sustained serious damage to their bodies and their injuries, while certainly horrible to look at, will heal with the right time and care. It could be days or even weeks before they both return to U.A. though."

Tokoyami looked down with relief. Even though they'd be out of commission for a while, just knowing that both of their teachers would be alright was enough for the time being. The day had been long and their battles had been rough, but it looked like things were turning out for the better.

"Normally, we'd like to question you all about the incident, however I can see it in your eyes, you need some rest first. For now, you should head back to your classroom and wait for your Headmaster to come and debrief you," He explained, pointing towards the bus that they had arrived in.

"Yes sir!" The class replied together, the atmosphere now beginning to calm down as everyone started making their way onto the bus.

Tokoyami entered first, heading straight for the seat at the back, where he had been sitting on the trip to the USJ. It had been a long day and like the officer had said, they would all probably be feeling it very soon. As he took his seat, he felt someone take the seat next to him, not even flinching when he felt Shouji's arm wrap around his shoulder.

"You're slouching," He said, Tokoyami giving a faint smile to his friend.

"It's been a long day," He admitted, letting his head rest back on the plush seat of the bus.

Though nobody had stated it, there was a weird vibe in the air as the bus began it's journey. Everyone was chatting to each other about their experiences, asking each other how they were doing, all the usual jazz. But he could have sworn that they were all acting like they'd known each other for a lot longer than the two weeks they'd actually known each other.

The USJ attack was their first taste of the world of Pro Heroes, but it had also managed to bring the class together in a way that nobody had expected. They had all fought against the Villains together and survived, it was only natural, he supposed, that the class would be a lot closer now. Two weeks ago, he'd probably have brushed off Shouji's arm that was keeping him steady.

But now he was just glad to be alive.

"Hey Tokoyami, you look tired," Uraraka whispered, looking back over her seat towards him.

Looking up at her with droopy eyes, he could only chuckle in response. "I feel tired," He admitted, getting a good look at Uraraka herself. Though their group had fought the least amount of villains, he could see the strain on Uraraka's face clear as day, same as he could feel the tension of the day in Shouji's arms. "You look tired as well, Uraraka."

"I feel tired too," She replied warmly, glancing up at Shouji with a smile before turning away.

"Hey Shouji," He started. "You look tired."

Shouji retracted his arm and nudged him to the side, Tokoyami moving his arms quickly to stop his head from smacking into the window. "Are you tired now?" His friend asked.

"I hate you sometimes," Tokoyami grumbled.

"No you don't."

"I know..."

* * *

None of the group decided to change out of their Hero Costumes when they reached the Main Building. Although most of the class wouldn't admit it, the general consensus was that they didn't want to split up just yet. Whether it was out of fear that a Villain could be lurking around the corner or just some sort of bonding experience, they had all returned to Class 1-A still dressed up.

"So we just need to wait for the Principle, right?" Kirishima asked as the group all settled around the room.

Tokoyami, leaning on his desk, nodded to the red-head.

"Well, I'm going to wait for Deku as well so I guess I'll be waiting longer," Uraraka laughed nervously, her eyes already drifting to the doorway.

"I will also wait for our classmate to return. As Class Rep, I must ensure that he is in good health," Iida proclaimed, everyone else looking away awkwardly.

"You should have seen him, man he was so fast!" Kirishima exclaimed, doing some punches to the air with his fist. "One second, he was next to me, Bakugou and Todoroki, the next moment he's ready to punch that Villain with the hands in the face!"

"I'm pretty sure he was aiming for the warp gate Villain," Todoroki stated. "He missed his target, but his speed was faster than I'd seen from him before."

"Ooooh, I hope he's alright," Tooru exclaimed.

"You shouldn't be worried. He's with Recovery Girl and All Might, it should be fine," Shouji explained.

That was when Kaminari spoke up, "What's the deal with Midoriya and All Might anyway?"

Everyone turned to face the yellow haired boy with questioning glances. "Don't tell me you don't see it guys? He's clearly All Might's favorite student," Kaminari explained. "He let the battle with Bakugou in combat training go on just for Midoriya, Midoriya tried to save him twice today, right?"

"Their Quirks are very similar as well," Tsuyu admitted. "I mentioned it on the bus today, remember."

"Oh yeah, you did," Kirishima gasped. "So like, is Midoriya getting secret training from All Might or something?"

"We should take bets!" Ashido squealed! "I bet a week's worth of lunches that they're secretly father and son!"

"Betting is not a practice that we should be doing on our classmate's personal life," Iida tried to announce in an attempt to sway the class away, but he was clearly outmatched and nobody was listening.

"Alright then, I bet it's secret training and nothing more," Kirishima grinned.

That was when Tokoyami spoke up, "I'll bet on something." The class turned to him, surprised.

"Really, Tokoyami? I didn't think you were a betting kinda guy," Sero leered.

"Well, I've been thinking," He admitted. Tokoyami had the advantage of knowing Midoriya through their website prior to meeting at U.A. so he knew a few extra facts about his life. He knew that Midoriya had been apparently Quirkless until the Entrance Exam. And there were no recorded cases of people's Quirks manifesting that late into their lives. It was all quite fishy. And if All Might had something to do with Midoriya's Quirk, perhaps his theory would make sense.

"Well?" Everyone asked, even Shouji looking interested in what he had to say.

"Fine then. I think that All Might has somehow given his Quirk's powers to Midoriya," He announced.

"That's crazy talk, you can't just give out Quirks," Kaminari grumbled.

"Hey, bird fucker, why'd you think that anyway?" Bakugou growled from his spot leaning against the wall. "You gotta have a good reason for guessing that, right?"

Tokoyami looked across the class before giving in and explaining. "I know Midoriya from before U.A. We used to chat a lot online and he mentioned how he was Quirkless. This was up until the day of the Entrance Exam."

A small set of gasps had apparently elicited from the class at that, "He was Quirkless?" Momo had choked out, the idea being so foreign to her.

"He was," Bakugou confirmed with a snarl. "The little shit suddenly gets a Quirk at his age? It's not right."

"As I was saying, on the day of the Entrance Exam he used his Quirk and blew up a 0 Point Robot, right?" The others nodded. "So he got his Quirk then. When we had the test with Aizawa on our Quirks, he mentioned how Midoriya's Quirk hadn't really synced itself to his body." It seemed that the others were starting to pick up on his train of thought, Momo and Uraraka nodding along.

"Oh, let me guess," Tsuyu interrupted. "So if, hypothetically, All Might have given his Quirk to Midoriya, it would explain why he couldn't use it properly without hurting himself."

"And you mentioned yourself how similar their Quirks were," Tokoyami said, looking at Tsuyu.

"Actually, I remember just before we ran away from All Might," Mineta piped up, looking between Tsuyu and Tokoyami excitedly. "Midoriya said that the Nomu creature could take a full punch of something like 'One for'."

"That's true," Tsuyu confirmed. "He then interrupted himself and said, 'My Quirk' instead."

"What a mystery? How exciting," Aoyama gasped. "What could this 'One for' be?"

"Perhaps Deku knows the name of his Quirk and he isn't sharing the information with us?" Uraraka suggested.

"We all know each other's Quirks inside and out, right?" Jirou asked. "It's not like any of us have been keeping secrets about our Quirks, but Midoriya's is still a mystery."

Tokoyami inwardly cringed at that. He was still keeping secrets and he felt both Kouda and Shouji's eyes drift over to him as Jirou said that. Luckily the others hadn't noticed, but he didn't feel like explaining the downsides of his Quirk at that point in time.

"We should just ask him about it," Todoroki sighed, looking between them all calmly.

"That won't work," A gruff voice said, everyone surprised that Bakugou was the one to disprove their idea. "Deku's a little shit but if he hasn't told us anything, it's because he either doesn't want to or because he can't."

"I don't know what to believe anymore," Tooru exclaimed angrily.

"Your theory is on point Tokoyami, but I think I'll stick to the Father Son idea," Ojiro laughed.

"Alright, we've got three theories then," Kaminari grinned. "Midoriya and All Might are secretly a father son pair. All Might is secretly tutoring Midoriya or, as Tokoyami explained, Midoriya has been given All Might's Quirk as like a successor. All right, hands in the air for the father son."

Ashido, Ojiro, Sero and Satou all raised their hands at that, Ashido looking extremely sure of herself until she realized none of her other girls had backed her up. "Fine, I'll be right on my own then!"

"Alright, secret tutoring, raise your hands."

Surprisingly Iida was the first to raise his hand, having given up on the idea of stopping the bet. Aoyama also raised his hand along with Todoroki, Kirishima, Kaminari and Hagakure. Then, after a few moments, Mineta and Jirou raised their hands.

"Which means that for the successor story, we've got..."

Tokoyami was the first to raise his hand, followed closely by Shouji and Kouda. Friends stick together, he supposed. Tsuyu also lifted her hand with Uraraka leaving Bakugou and Momo as the last two.

"Alright, the bet between All Might and Midoriya is now on!" Kaminari announced with a grin.

And right as he said that, the door to the classroom opened and in stepped the Principal, an anthropomorphic Nedzu. "Ah, hello there Class 1-A!" He announced with a smile, hopping on to the teacher's desk quickly. "I'm here to quickly tell you that school will be closed tomorrow to allow us time to sort out our security measures."

"For a day?" Tokoyami asked incredulously. "Isn't that quite quick for something of this scale?"

"We've come to the agreement that this Villain that attacked won't be making anymore moves any time soon. Snipe was able to wound the villain, so he should be taking time off to heal. That means you can continue your studies relatively quickly," Nedzu announced with a smile. "That being said, you will have tomorrow off to relax and rest. Today was tough for you all and we need to ensure you are all perfectly fine."

"Thank you for the advice, Mr Principal," Iida announced.

"No, thank you all for your support. You're a talented group of heroes and you've just come out of a battle that most Pro-Heroes could, and would, struggle with, and with barely a few scratches on you all. You will all make fine heroes one day."

Nedzu hopped off of the chair, leaping back towards the door effortlessly. "Have a good day off, Class 1-A!"

And with that, he was gone, no sooner than he had arrived.

"Jeez, that geezer moves fast," Ojiro mentioned, looking at the now open door.

"So do we just like, go?" Ashido asked unsure.

The group, worryingly, looked around at each other, nobody really sure about making the first move. It wasn't until Todoroki and Momo decided that enough was enough, that everyone finally snapped out of the stupour that they had been lost in. "I'll see you all in a few days then," Momo announced with a smile.

"Before you go!" Ashido announced, eyes lighting up. "We should totally make a school group chat on that site thingy that Tokoyami uses!"

"We already have a chat for a few of us, I don't mind adding you if you want," Tokoyami explained.

"Will do! Text you the details!" She squealed before running off after Momo.

And soon the class began to file out, heading home for the day. After a few minutes, only a few of them were still there. Uraraka, Iida, Shouji, Kouda and Tsuyu all still hung around in the classroom.

"You guys waiting for Midoriya too?" Uraraka finally asked, getting a small nod from Tokoyami.

"We should get changed though," Shouji admitted, looking down at their Hero Costumes. They really didn't need to be wearing them any longer.

* * *

The group of six all found themselves lounging around outside the entrance as the sun began to go down on the city, the sky turning darker and darker as their wait continued. They had been passed by the Principle, who allowed them to wait for Midoriya, but warned them to get home after he was allowed out of the infirmary.

Tokoyami felt a little guilty as he knew Shouji was only staying because he had decided to wait to check on his friend. It made sense that Tsuyu was still there, she had been with Midoriya for most of the battle and Kouda normally walked home with Tsuyu so that made sense. And of course Iida and Uraraka were Midoriya's closest friends.

"Wha- Guys?" He heard a voice call out, everyone turning to see Midoriya walking out of the school entrance, eyes glistening with a few tears. "Y-You guys waited for me?"

"Of course we did," Uraraka frowned, pushing herself towards the boy. "We were worried, y'know."

"I'm glad to see you're alright Midoriya," Tsuyu said with a smile.

"As Class Rep, I had to be sure that you were okay," Iida announced with such passion that everyone else couldn't help but laugh.

Kouda gave a small wave, letting out a small, "You looked really hurt. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

He turned to Tokoyami and Shouji, now beaming from the amount of friends that had actually stayed behind to wait for him, "Even you two? Don't you have like, the longest to walk out of all of us to get home?"

"It's fine," Tokoyami brushed off. "School's out for tomorrow anyway, it's not like we're in a rush."

"It is a relief to know that you're safe Midoriya. Now we know the whole class is okay," Shouji admitted, and everyone could hear the relief in his voice. He had been just as concerned as the rest of them, Tokoyami realized.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before everyone decided it was time to start heading home. Shouji and Tokoyami had decided to take the train into town since their normal road would be too dark to navigate, which Tokoyami was extremely grateful for. The last thing he needed was pitch black darkness. They'd get off with the rest of the group and then head home from the station near Midoriya's house.

Shouji and Kouda moved ahead with Iida, Uraraka and Tsuyu for a moment, giving Tokoyami a brief few seconds to quickly pull Midoriya to the side. The talk in the classroom earlier had left him wondering and he wondered if being direct would give anything away.

"Midoriya, I apologize if you cannot answer this, but I wanted to ask you about your Quirk," He explained quietly, not noticing Shouji's arms had formed into a pair of eyes and ears to watch them.

"My Quirk?" He asked quietly, looking at Tokoyami with an unreadable expression. "Uh sure, what do you want to know?"

"Did you inherit it from All Might?"

Midoriya's eyes widened, his nerves seemingly kicking in. He had the same reaction when Tsuyu had asked about it on the bus, he could remember even from the back of the bus how Midoriya looked. He wasn't good at lying, was he. "What are you crazy, Tokoyami? You can't inherit a Quirk."

"Then why are you so nervous about my suggestion," He asked calmly.

Midoriya's eyes widened even further, like a deer caught in the headlights. "I- Well, Uh, that's..." Midoriya sighed in defeat, looking down at the ground. "Tokoyami, message me tomorrow. I'll explain what I can... Just, please don't talk about this to anyone else."

He glanced up, noticing one of Shouji's arms looking away, realizing very quickly that he'd already blurted out his theory to the entire class. How the hell was he supposed to have known it was something Midoriya couldn't talk about?

"Of course," He replied, trying to hide the nerves in his voice.

"Alright, I'll explain tomorrow. Just... Yeah..."

The conversation ended as quickly as it had started, but now Tokoyami was certain that his theory was somehow right. The question was, what now?

* * *

 **A/N - Normally, Tokoyami canonically shouldn't have figured this out. But - And this is manga spoilers - If Bakugou could figure it out because he knew Deku was Quirkless and thanks to what Deku told him after the combat training, I think I've given Tokoyami enough info for him to come up with the theory as well.**

 **In fact, I'm 90% sure that Bakugou had already figured Midoriya out way in advance of when it's shown in the manga but thanks to various events it just never really manifested as a suggestion.**

 **Tokoyami, in this fic at least, has the bonus of having talked with Izuku before U.A. and knowing about his Quirkless state. And given the stuff I've had him notice, I don't think it's a stretch to say that he found out Izuku's secret quickly. The question is, will that affect the plot at all?**


	17. Late Night Chats! Midoriya's Secret!

**Chapter 17 - Late Night Chats! Midoriya's Secret!**

 _Tokoyami couldn't sleep._

It's not like sleeping was the problem though, it was the dreaming that had kept Tokoyami awake that night at 2 in the morning. Another one of his nightmare episodes had occurred, jolting him awake faster than he could even blink. His feathers were rustled, sweat was drenched across his face and he could sense Dark Shadow's anger inside of him.

He had been dreaming about the USJ attack. Given it had happened the day before, he supposed it made sense that his mind would be lingering on it. But the way his dream turned so quickly into a nightmare was horrifying. And this time it was Shouji and Kouda who were his nightmare's targets.

It started out simple enough. He and Kouda were fighting in the Squall Zone, knocking out enemies left and right. They'd seen the exit and ran towards it, only this time when that Villain with the razor sharp hair had lunged towards them, Kouda had not been so lucky. The sight of Kouda drenched in blood, cut to ribbons in just a few moments was enough to disturb the crow.

Dark Shadow had come out like before and slammed into the villain, only this time Tokoyami was more consumed by it's rage. Dark tendrils spiraled out of control, slamming through the dome's roofing, breaking open the Squall Zone from the outside. He could feel his body being consumed, unable to control Dark Shadow as his body stumbled into the main dome.

"Tokoyami!" He had heard Shouji call out, his best friend running towards him, concern, fear and horror alight in his eyes.

But when Dark Shadow's dark tendrils slammed through Shouji, impaling him in the stomach, Tokoyami felt all of the darkness dissipate and he was left with just his own body. Dark Shadow was gone, Shouji falling forwards into his arms, gurgling up blood. And Tokoyami had cried. A lot. Tears stained his face as Shouji lifted an arm with the last of his strength, wiping the tears away.

And that's when he had woken up, finding that he had actually been crying in his sleep, or at least that his eyes were watering.

Now he was sitting on his chair, desk lamp on, computer plugged in, browsing the web in an attempt to lull his brain into calming down for the rest of the night, a cup of warm milk by his side. Kouda's advice worked once, apparently it couldn't work twice.

"Why do you have to do this tonight?" He sighed to nobody in particular. His Quirk did not reply, having gone completely dormant after his episode. "Why do you have to show me hell like that?"

It was a curse that he had to bear. When his nightmares got bad, he had to brute force his way through them and deal with it. There was no other option. There was nobody around who could calm him down and he'd yet to find someone who was good at keeping away the nightmares.

A small pinging noise drew him out of his thoughts, noticing that he'd received a message from someone. He assumed it was Kouda since they'd both been up at similar times last time this happened, but he was surprised to see that Shouji had messaged him.

 **Tentacle: Why are you awake?**

It was a simple enough question. Looking at his list, nobody else was actually up aside from Shouji and himself. He'd added the entire class on to their group chat and added everyone as friends, so private messaging was something he was quite grateful for. Waking up everyone with messages about his nightmares wouldn't do.

 **Tsukuyomi: Can't sleep.  
**  
It took a few moments for Shouji to reply after that. Perhaps he was tired, maybe he missed the message. Or maybe he didn't really know what to say, but eventually he got a reply.

 **Tentacle: Is it to do with USJ?**

 **Tsukuyomi: Not USJ specifically. I uh... I have nightmares sometimes.**

 **Tentacle: Oh...**

Tsukuyomi: Yeah...

Tentacle: I don't want to pry, but can I ask what the nightmare was about?

He paused for a moment, wondering if he really wanted to talk about the nightmare to Shouji. He'd killed him, lost complete control of his Quirk and hurt Shouji. That was something that he couldn't imagine himself doing and he'd try to avoid that outcome like the plague if he could. But... He needed to talk to someone and Kouda would only get freaked out.

 **Tsukuyomi: Sure... It was at USJ. Kouda and I faced this villain with razor hair. Only in the dream... Things didn't go well. Kouda, he... God, there was blood everywhere...**

His hands shook as he wrote down the dream, detailing it with disgust as he thought about those images in his mind. Of Kouda's limp, cut up body or Shouji dying in his arms. He could feel the tears again.

 **Tsukuyomi: My Quirk... It lost control and went mad. When I got out of the zone, you came towards me. I just. I didn't want to but. Fuck, I stabbed you.**

 **Tentacle: Tokoyami, oh my god, it's fine. You don't need to explain anymore. I'm sorry for making you recount that.**

 **Tsukuyomi: That wasn't even the worst part... You died in my damn arms. I couldn't... I couldn't do anything... I'm sorry.**

Tentacle: Don't apologize! It was just a nightmare, it didn't happen. I'm alive, Kouda's alive, we're both fine.

 **Tsukuyomi: I know that. But damn, it was so real. I just can't fucking sleep in case the nightmares happen again. Fuck...**

He knew he was stressed. He was swearing, he hated using swear words without a proper cause but these nightmares were too much for him to handle at this point. His head hurt, his heart hurt and he just wanted it all to stop for a moment. For one moment, he wished he couldn't feel so that he wouldn't give a damn about this feeling swelling up, hurting him from deep inside.

 **Tentacle: Tokoyami please, take some deep breaths and just calm yourself. I know it will be hard, but you will need to go back to sleep at some point tonight.**

 **Tsukuyomi: That's easy for you to say, you don't have a fucking demon living inside of you.**

He pushed his computer away, feeling his frustration beginning to build. He rarely got like this but sometimes he just wanted to cry and let it all out. Tonight was definitely one of those nights. He found himself curling up on his bed, feeling tears falling down his face.

He must have been loud as a few minutes later, he heard the creaking of a bed and the squeak of his bedroom door opening. His mother hesitantly peered around the door, but when she saw her child sitting there on the bed at his breaking point, her mothering instincts hit overdrive and she was right there beside him, rubbing his back as he quietly sobbed into his pillow.

"It's alright Fumi," She whispered, feeling him shuddering under her touch. "Whatever you're feeling, it'll all be alright. Mother's here."

Tokoyami finally exhausted himself five minutes later, falling into a deep dreamless sleep as his mother continued to rub his back quietly and calmly. She gave her son a warm smile, fears welling up in her stomach at what he had experienced that day. Her son had been attacked and she was extremely worried, and if it was triggering his nightmares again...

"Oh Fumikage..." She sighed, wrapping the cover around him before noticing his computer monitor had been knocked askew on his desk.

Looming over the monitor, she fixed it upright only to notice a few messages pop up on screen.

 **Tentacle: What do you mean? Are you talking about Dark Shadow?**

 **Tentacle: Are you there Tokoyami? Hey, Toko? Please, can you answer?**

 **Tentacle: Have a good night. Please reply and let me know you're okay at least. You're my best friend, I don't want to lose that over a night text.**

Before leaving the room, she felt the urge to reply. It was rare that she got the chance to talk with one of her son's friends and find out just who he was getting mixed up with.

 **Tsukuyomi: This is Fumikage's mother. He's had a rough night but he's sleeping soundly. May I ask who you are?**

 **Tentacle: Oh, that's a relief. Thank you for replying, I was worried. I'm Mezou Shouji, Mrs. Tokoyami.**

 **Tsukuyomi: Oh, you're Shouji? I've heard so much about you! Tokoyami always talks about you when he's home. You've left quite a positive impression on my Son.**

 **Tentacle: Oh, well thats uh... Thanks, I guess? He's a great friend, attentive, thoughtful, he made me climb a tree earlier.**

 **Tsukuyomi: I'm glad my son has a friend he can depend on. He can be a little closed off sometimes, but as a mother it makes me happy that there are people out there who care about him as much as we do. I'm worried about his education and how dangerous it is, but if he's happy...**

 **Tentacle: More happy than you can imagine. He's always excited for whatever comes next at school. Anyway, I really should go, thank you for the update once again, Mrs. Tokoyami.**

 **Tsukuyomi: Have a good night, Shouji, I'll let my son know you were asking about him.**

She closed the computer down and looked over at her son. Even with all of the worry surrounding him, just from that Shouji's words and how much Tokoyami admired him, she could tell he was happy. And for now, that was enough. Perhaps she should invite Shouji around for dinner at some point, get to know Tokoyami's friends a bit more.

Shutting the door, she made sure to switch off the desk lamp, leaving Tokoyami to his dreamless slumber.

* * *

"You seriously had a conversation with my friend at 2:30 in the morning?" Tokoyami exclaimed, waltzing into the Living Room, gesturing back towards his bedroom as he looked over at his mother in utter horror.

"He wanted to know if you were okay," She replied innocently. "Besides, you've never once thought about introducing us to your friends, I thought it would be best if I found out for myself who was looking after you at school Fumikage."

"He's not looking after me," He groaned, feeling the feathers on his head standing up from annoyance. "I don't even need looking after, I handled myself just fine yesterday."

His mother frowned, putting down the newspaper she was reading to stare at her son. "You were crying last night. Regardless of how well you were at the whole fighting thing, whatever happened affected you," She explained, her eyes almost dripping with concern. "You still haven't got full control over your Quirk yet and as your mother I have the right to be worried about these things."

"Fine, whatever," He sighed, turning to the kitchen to get some food. "Can you not talk about my feelings and stuff to my friends online though next time?"

Without waiting for a reply, he sulked away, deciding to grab a simple bowl of cereal before retreating to his room in utter embarrassment. It was 11 in the morning when he plopped down with his cereal next to his computer, looking back over the few messages his mother had sent to Shouji.

 _"Jeez, they're both a pair of saps..."_

Clicking off the conversation, he quickly scanned the list of people online to see if there was anyone worth talking to. And that was when his eyes caught Midoriya's name at the bottom of the list. His mind flashed back to the evening before. He'd been told to message him the day after, so today then.

Typing up a quick message, he sent it and waited for a reply, getting one back extremely quickly. It seemed Midoriya was at his computer as well.

 **Tsukuyomi: Hey, you said to message you today?**

 **AllMightFan1: Oh, hey Tokoyami! You feeling okay?**

 **Tsukuyomi: I'm fine, why?  
**  
 **AllMightFan1: Shouji was messaging me last night asking if you'd talked with me at all, he seemed kinda worried.**

 **Tsukuyomi: It was a rough night. My mother got a hold of my computer, I'd rather not go into more details.**

 **AllMightFan1: Sounds rough. So uh, what I need to tell you, I'd rather do it face to face.**

 **Tsukuyomi: Is it that serious?**

 **AllMightFan1: Yeah. I'll be heading into town later today since I'm meeting up with Uraraka to go shopping. Why not tag along and I can explain there.**

Did he just get invited out? To like, actually hang out outside of school? This was a new experience. But he quickly replied with a confirmation message which Midoriya responded telling him the time and the place.

Swallowing the rest of his cereal, he also sent a quick apology message to Shouji, hoping the taller boy would get the message at some point in the day.

 **Tsukuyomi: Hey, sorry about last night. I was a little over-stressed. My mother can be a bit intrusive, I hope she didn't bother you at all. I'm going to be out for the next few hours so sorry if I don't reply soon.**

"Mother, I'm going to hang out with some friends," He announced, stepping out of his bedroom, now dressed in a casual white, button-up, shirt, black jeans and a pair of white trainers. Nothing too fancy, but enough to at least show that he had some sense of style, even if it was pretty basic.

"You mean... Out, out?" She replied incredulously.

"Yes, out out," He replied unenthusiastic ally, sounding extremely fed up.

"I'm so proud of you Fumikage, actually spending time with kids your age instead of being cooped in that room or in the forest out back," She cried out, running to embrace her son, although he side stepped her pretty well and she bashed comically into the wall. "Was that really necessary."

"Yes, I just ironed my shirt," He grumbled, folding his arms.

Before she could even reply, Tokoyami launched himself towards the door and barreled out of the house, leaving his mother standing there very confused. Had he stayed for a few more moments, he would have noticed the look of sadness that made it's way onto her face.

* * *

The town of Musutafu could be a confusing and maze-like place for those who were not used to walking in it's streets. And Tokoyami was certainly no exception, strolling down the sidewalk in an attempt to figure out which way led to the park. Midoriya had messaged him the details, telling him to meet the pair at Musutafu Park, a place in the middle of the city.

Surrounded on all sides by skyscrapers and city shops, Musutafu Park was a small slice of wildlife that was nestled in the heart of the city. Plants and trees grew in abundance and they had a small lake where you could often find people having picnics and doing other fun activities. And it was there were he needed to meet Midoriya and Uraraka in ten minutes.

Finally spotting the iron gates that separated the city from the park, he strolled up to them, glancing around for his two friends. Seeing neither of them, he leaned up against the side of one of the gates, just in the shade to keep himself out of the sun.

Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone else, he was actually feeling extremely nervous as he leaned against the wall, waiting for Midoriya and Uraraka to show up. His mother had been right about one thing, this was the first time he'd ever really decided to go and hang out with his friends. Sure, he'd been out before, but hanging out with actual friends was a right reserved for people who had friends.

And he wasn't exactly the friendliest kid. His interests were a bit off-putting, seeing as he liked to dabble in fate and the occult when he wasn't worrying about Hero stuff. He assumed it was because his Quirk was literally a dark demon, but ghost stories and the such never really spooked him out. Although telling anyone else about his interests was just embarrassing. He could already imagine the judgements of his peers if they found out he was interested in all that stuff.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts, he didn't even register that bubbly voice calling out for him until they were just a few paces away.

"Hey, Tokoyami! So glad you could make it!" The cheerful voice of Uraraka called out, waving towards him, Midoriya walking a few paces behind.

Uraraka had dressed herself up in a bright light pink shirt with a slightly darker pink skirt underneath. She was wearing fully black leggings and a pair of trainers with a small backpack across her shoulder. Midoriya also had a large backpack over his shoulder, wearing traditional dark blue denim jeans and a mint green shirt with the words, "Plus Ultra" plastered on the front.

"Did you get here alright?" Midoriya asked, putting on a smile, although he could see the boy was concerned about something. The real reason for their meeting.

"I got turned around a few streets back, but I made it here just fine," He explained, pointing back down the street he came from with a grimace. "This city is a maze."

"Don't you mean, a-maze-ing!" Uraraka giggled, Midoriya letting out a small chuckle while Tokoyami inwardly groaned. If this was hanging out, he could understand why he'd missed it all these years. "Oh cheer up ya big bird," She grinned. "We've got clothes to buy!"

"I didn't peg you as a massive clothes shopping fan," Tokoyami replied as Uraraka dragged both of the boys down the street towards the nearest unisex clothing store. At least it wasn't one of those girly ones where all the guys would just sit in a corner acting like they'd just been dragged into hell itself.

"Oh, I usually don't like shopping for clothes. It gets lonely since Mum and Dad are away a lot," Uraraka admitted bashfully. "But Deku said he needed to buy some new weights so I thought, why not make a day out of it."

"I also need to get some new books and pens for school," Midoriya reminded her, Uraraka giving a small nod.

Tokoyami had to ask though, "Why not just get Momo to create some books and pens with her Quirk? I'm sure she'd say yes if you asked."

"I prefer to buy my own stuff," Midoriya admitted. "I've had these notebooks since I was a kid where I'd write down stuff about all the different Heroes I meet."

"Are we in there as well?" Uraraka asked.

Midoriya took a moment to think about that before replying, "Not everyone. I still haven't seen you in action Tokoyami," He explained.

"Oh of course, you were unconscious during Battle Training and we never met up in the USJ," He explained, catching Uraraka up to speed as she began to search the racks of clothes for tops of her liking.

"Maybe you'll get a chance during the Sports Festival next week, that's if they still decide to host it," Uraraka said. She picked up a few shirts and went to look at the skirts, the other two giving each other the glance that only men stuck with women shopping could use.

But Uraraka's words did spark Midoriya for a moment, muttering, "Oh right, the Sport's Festival, I almost forgot about it!"

That was a surprise. Midoriya was usually on point when remembering events and things like the Sport's Festival. Even Tokoyami had extreme knowledge on the festival. It was a tournament where the students of U.A. would compete to see who was the best Hero. More importantly, it was a way of making a splash and getting yourself known.

"I imagine we'll be watched closely," He theorized. "Who wouldn't want to miss the class that took down the Villains at USJ."

"That's so true," Uraraka gasped. "Just don't tell Mineta that. Who knows what he'd do knowing everyone would be looking at him." The trio all shivered at that, thoroughly creeped out.

"I'll have Shouji keep an eye on him."

"Good idea," Uraraka admitted, now grabbing the last bit of clothing she wanted. "I'll be back in like a few minutes, I need to try all this on!" She quickly rushed off to the changing rooms, giving the two boys a wave before delving into the darkness of the store.

Midoriya gave a small sigh of relief, sinking down into one of the chairs that the store had specifically for people who were waiting for shoppers to try on their clothes, Tokoyami relaxing next to him as they could finally take a break from Uraraka's mad dash for clothes. Although it was only short lived as Midoriya turned to Tokoyami, face completely serious.

"What do you want to know?"

"Your Quirk," He started. "Did you inherit it from All Might like I guessed."

Midoriya hesitated for a moment, almost looking ready to back out, but ultimately he gave a nod and said, "Yeah, that's right."

"When?"

"The day of the Entrance Exam was when I actually got the Quirk, but I'd been training for ten months after that sludge villain attacked Kacchan," He explained, looking up at the ceiling. "I cleared up an entire beach full of rubbish just to train my body up."

"Wait, that was you?" He choked out, remembering the story of the beach being completely cleaned by an unknown source. It had been an environmental miracle.

"Mhm, All Might, who is so going to kill me, made me clean it as part of a training schedule." Midoriya paused, looking back to Tokoyami. "You can't tell anyone. You know that, right? If villains found out about All Might losing his Quirk, they'd target us so quickly that we wouldn't have time to defend ourselves. So, please, tell me you didn't..."

Guiltily, Tokoyami looked away, unable to answer Midoriya.

"Tokoyami, you didn't tell anyone... right?"

"I'm sorry Midoriya..."

"Tokoyami!?"

With a grumble, he replied, "It's not like I knew at the time. The whole class was betting on you and All Might and how you were connected and I shared my theory. How was I supposed to know it was this dark secret that none of us were supposed to find out about."

"The class bet on me!?"

"Not everyone went for my idea though. It was myself, Kouda, Shouji, Tsuyu, Uraraka, Momo and Bakugou. Nobody else believed me."

Midoriya frowned. "Kacchan's gonna kill me. Back after the Combat Training, I actually told him the Quirk wasn't mine but I was trying to make it my own. He's probably connected the dots just like you did..."

"Midoriya, I do apologize for this. Please, just know I did not mean to cause you, or All Might, any trouble," He explained, now beginning to feel the pang of guilt in his stomach.

"It's fine Tokoyami, really. I'm glad that, if anybody knew, it was you that figured it out," He admitted, looking at his friend with a smile. "I can trust you, I know that. Although..."

"What is it?"

"You may as well tell Shouji as well," Midoriya frowned. "He was listening to us chat last night, I only noticed right after I confirmed it to you, so he's probably super suspicious right now."

Come to think of it, Tokoyami did remember Shouji moving his arms suspiciously the night before. He had no idea why at the time but had Shouji been spying on them? Or was he just curious?

"Hey guys, I'm all done! I heard Shouji's name though, what are you talking about?" Uraraka announced, three bags of clothes in hand.

"N-Nothing," Tokoyami spluttered, feeling his feathers bristling as Uraraka gave him an odd stare.

"You know Tokoyami, Shouji really cares about you," She started. "I'm not sure if you've noticed it but he really goes out of his way to help you out. That's a friend for life right there!"

With that, she strolled towards the entrance of the store, Midoriya and Tokoyami quickly scrambling to follow suit. "Should I expect any surprises from All Might?" He asked as they caught up with Uraraka, only getting a shrug from Midoriya as they left the shop.

And now Tokoyami was just feeling even more confused. Midoriya's secret was deep and now he was in on the truth, it all just felt confusing and surreal. And on top of that, Uraraka's comments on Shouji left him feeling even more uncomfortable. That care that she mentioned, was Shouji really as caring as she said? Could he even let someone care that much when he didn't care much for himself to begin with...?

* * *

 **A/N - Tokoyami officially knows Midoriya's deep secret, that's fun. And Midoriya is aware that most of his class has been betting on him. What fun!?**

 **I wanted to flesh out Tokoyami's mother a bit more. She's quite traditional and really cares for her child, but their ideals are quite different and it causes them to come into conflict most of the time. I don't describe Tokoyami's parents much in case we ever see them in the canon (We don't even know if they've got bird heads, sort of like how Tsuyu's family is all frogs).**

 **And Shouji, bless him. He's trying so hard to help Tokoyami but our little birb is so uncomfortable with all of that stuff that he never really accepted the help.**

 **Anyway, next chapter, we start the Sport's Festival Arc!**


	18. Collision Course! The Invitation!

**Chapter 18 - Collision Course! The Invitation!**

Shopping with Midoriya had turned out to be much more fruitful for Tokoyami than he had initially anticipated. He found himself with two new notebooks, a new set of pens and a new ruler. His old one had accidentally snapped... When he chewed it... With his beak. The class never truly recovered from the laughing fit that lesson and he now had a new ruler and a new lease on not biting into the plastic with his beak.

And on the side of sports gear, he found that buying a new tracksuit was a much better idea than he'd initially thought, finding a dark black broody tracksuit with skulls dotted along the sides. Midoriya gave him a weird look as he paid for it but didn't say much more, hiding the fact that he'd clearly just bought some body spray that was themed after All Might.

Uraraka chuckled as the two of them finally left the sport's shop with their own set of shopping bags. But as Tokoyami glanced down at his phone to check the time, he was surprised to see how early it still was.

"Only three in the afternoon," He muttered quietly, wondering if he wanted to head home just yet.

It was still pretty early and his parents weren't expecting him home for another four hours or so, thanks to a stray text he'd sent their way. "Oh my gosh, we should totally go have some lunch in the park!" Uraraka announced, eyes lighting up at the thought of sitting on the grass with a sandwich.

Midoriya shrugged, "What the heck, why not," He said.

"Sure, sounds good," Tokoyami agreed, the group making the decision to head back in the direction of the park. They'd moved a few streets away during their search for a good sport store and found themselves walking down one of the busier roads in town. To their left, Tokoyami could see a large pet shop with a large array of animals in the windows. Kittens, puppies, birds and lizards, they were all there.

"Aw, look at all the cute kittens!" Uraraka squealed, pointing at a small black ball of fur in the corner. "That one looks kinda like you Tokoyami!"

"I am not a kitten," He spluttered, although he definitely could see the resemblance. The kitten's hair was spiked up, just like his own feathers, but that didn't stop the blush creeping up his neck. "At least get the species right."

"Oh, so kinda like this cr-"

Midoriya was about to point to the crow in the window when a loud thud was heard and the young boy suddenly found himself falling backwards onto the pavement. They heard a yelp and Uraraka quickly moved to help Midoriya up off the ground.

"Did someone get the number of that truck that hit me," Midoriya mumbled, shaking away the fatigue to look up at what had hit him.

"Kouda?" Tokoyami exclaimed, surprised.

For there, sitting in the doorway, rubbing his back gingerly, was their fellow classmate and good friend, Kouji Kouda, dressed up in a smile blue shirt and short olive green shorts. He was wearing white trainers and bright blue socks as well.

"Hey, is everything alright Koud-"

"You too?" Tokoyami exclaimed again, surprised by the sudden appearance of the six armed, tall behemoth that was Shouji popping up behind Kouda, sporting a white vest, camoflauge trousers, a black belt and a pair of dark trainers. His cyan face mask was still tightly wrapped around his face like normal and Tokoyami had to admit, the sight had taken his breath away.

There was a moment of silence as Shouji, Midoriya, Kouda, Uraraka and Tokoyami all took some time to process what had happened, but it was Kouda who was first to speak up, surprisingly.

"Oh Midoriya, I'm so sorry for knocking you over," He softly exclaimed, scrambling up off of the floor with Shouji's help.

"It's fine, I wasn't watching where I was going," Midoriya laughed, smiling at the two newcomers.

"So what are you boys up to anyway?" Uraraka asked politely, looking over Kouda and Shouji with curious eyes.

Shouji just pointed to Tokoyami. "Toko said he'd be out today, so I figured since I had nobody to talk to that I'd go buy some supplies. I bumped into Kouda on the way and we both decided to head into the petshop." Tokoyami ignored the blush that had continued to creep up on him after Shouji said that nickname.

Kouda was nodding his head frantically at that explantion, but Tokoyami wasn't buying it for a second. His eyes darted between the two, noting that Kouda looked extra frazzled and Shouji seemed a little too tense for his liking. It was more likely that they had been actively looking for the trio, although for what reason he couldn't guess. Kouda wasn't _that_ shy to stalk someone around, like Tsuyu's old friend from Middle School.

But he kept his thoughts to himself, looking at the two of them with an eye roll.

"You should totally have lunch with us!" Uraraka announced, determined to expand the group even more. "We were heading to the park if you wanted to come!"

"What do you want to do Kouda?" Shouji asked, looking over at his companion, Kouda giving a small thumbs up. "Looks like it's a yes."

"Awesome!" Uraraka laughed, pointing in the direction of the park. "Let's go!" She quickly grabbed at Kouda, pulling him forwards as Midoriya hurried to stop him from being dragged too quickly while Shouji calmly matched his pace with Tokoyami, just a few paces behind the other three.

"You followed us, didn't you," Tokoyami hissed, folding his arms along with his shopping bags as well.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Shouji innocently asked, although he thought he could detect that slight crease in his mask that meant a smile.

Tokoyami frowned, looking down at his shopping before back up at the boy, suddenly remembering Uraraka's words from back in the main shop. _"You know Tokoyami, Shouji really cares about you."_ It was such a simple statement but now he just felt nervous as heck around the guy now that Uraraka was making him confused. Emotions weren't exactly his strong suit and expressing simple things like friendship was still foreign to him.

"So did you talk with Midoriya?" Shouji asked, snaking one of his arms around his back to hide the mouth. He was being secretive towards the others.

"You were listening last night," Tokoyami stated. "You're a lot sneakier than anyone gives you credit for."

"I wasn't sneaking around. I was merely listening to the two of you talking. It's not my fault that my senses are heightened and I sometimes happen to pick up on things that I shouldn't." What a load of bull. He gave Shouji a stern look, eventually making the taller boy crack. "I was curious!"

"Curiosity killed the Shouji," He replied, increasing his pace to catch up the other three. "I do have something to tell you later though."

Catching back up with the group, they found that Kouda was chatting with Midoriya about animals. It seemed they'd got him talking about the many pets he wanted to have when he moved away from home. He had a pet bunny that everyone found adorable, but aside from that he wanted more animals to look after. It made sense given his Quirk allowed him to actually command and even talk with animals.

"So Shouji," Uraraka announced, glancing back at the tall boy as they crossed the road towards the park. "Kouda's got his bunny, Midoriya's got All Might, Tokoyami's got Dark Shadow and I've got a boat load of energy. What do you have?"

"I wouldn't say I've got Dark Shadow," He muttered, still uncomfortable over the incident the day before.

"What brought this question on, Uraraka?" Shouji asked inquisitively, looking around at the group nervously.

"Well, everyone's got something that helps them right?" She explained, although her explanation seemed pretty half-assed. She was up to something. Midoriya could only give an apologetic glance to Shouji, Kouda and then Tokoyami. It seemed he knew what she was up to.

"I guess that makes sense," Shouji replied unsure.

Uraraka smirked, "So who's the person that helps you?"

Shouji looked away quietly, the faintest traces of a pink blush forming on the tip of his face mask where his cheek was. And Uraraka definitely noticed.

"You're blushing! Is it embarrassing?" She squealed.

"You've been hanging out with Ashido too much," Tokoyami grumbled. Ashido had already taken the liberty of trying to pair the class off with each other like some rabid shipping creature despite everyone still barely knowing each other outside of the two weeks of friendship they'd had.

Shouji was looking down awkwardly, as if trying to let the ground swallow him up. "I'd rather not discuss that, if that's fine by you."

"Why, is it someone we know?" Uraraka asked.

"He's clearly uncomfortable, you really need to stop talking with Ashido," Tokoyami cut in, Shouji looking at him gratefully as he turned. Whatever he was being pressured into saying, he clearly didn't want to discuss and although Uraraka probably meant well (unlike Ashido), she'd crossed the line a bit.

"Sorry," She muttered, rubbing her head in shame. "I guess I got a little carried away there."

"It's fine," Shouji replied quietly. "I know you meant no harm."

"Anyway, food sounds good, right!" Midoriya interrupted, pointing towards a small sandwich cart. Everyone agreed, thankfully burying that awkward conversation into the back of their minds.

* * *

The day passed by in the blink of an eye for the five students as they sat in the park and hung out for the day. Midoriya shared some new techniques he'd been working on, not just for himself, but for some of the other students as well. They had learned that while Midoriya was attentive and taking notes, he was scarily accurate at twigging people's personal information.

He'd already figured out most of the class's backgrounds from sheer observation and that level of analytical prowess was terrifying to behold. Thank god that it was contained inside one of the most naively kind souls that the group knew.

Uraraka had spent the day chatting about her drive to get stronger. She mentioned how she and Ashido felt a little useless during the USJ attack and that she wanted to train even harder so that next time she'd be able to fight with the rest of the class and not hesitate. Sure, her Quirk was a little situational, but with the right boosts, she could make anyone faster.

Kouda had expressed an interest in developing his hand to hand skills after USJ, realizing just how rusty he was. Shouji, of course, offered to give him some training on the subject. Having six hands certainly helped in that regard and if anybody was in the peak of their physical health, it was Shouji.

Tokoyami had discussed that he wished to be more accurate and powerful with his own Quirk, but his explanation was rather vague as he still did not wish to explain the secret of his Quirk to his classmates. Only Kouda knew and he would rather it stayed that way.

Their day out came to an end fairly quickly and after bidding a brief farewell to Midoriya and Uraraka, Tokoyami found himself walking towards the outskirts of town with Kouda and Shouji in tow. The sun was beginning to set rather early that evening as they found themselves at the familiar crossroads that separated the city from the outskirts and Kouda, with a shy wave and a smile, headed off home.

Tokoyami was about to bid Shouji a good night when a sudden buzzing sound made the both of them jump. Shouji, in surprise, fumbled around before producing what looked like a phone, from his pocket. He quickly raised it, answering the call that had been incoming.

"Oh hey, yeah the phone's fine... Mhm... You're not coming home until the weekend?" Shouji's face turned to a frown as he continued to talk with whoever was on the other end, settling with a, "No, it's good. You and Dad just have a good time. Alright, I'll see you in a few days. Bye."

Tokoyami gave his friend a curious stare as he put his phone away, but not before commenting, "I thought you didn't do material possessions."

"I never said that," Shouji replied. "If someone buys me something, I'll keep it. I just don't see the need to buy myself items if I don't need them."

Shouji gave a sigh as he looked down at the ground, annoyed. "Is everything alright?" Tokoyami asked, concerned.

"It's fine. It's fine... My Parents just phoned to tell me they'll be out of town again for the week."

"Do they go on trips often?" He asked curiously.

"All the time. Only this trip wasn't planned. Something about a surprise party. They phoned basically to tell me they didn't have any food prepared for when I get home later."

"You can't cook?" He asked. Shouji certainly seemed like the type who'd excel in the kitchen.

He folded all six of his arms, looking at Tokoyami with a stare that said, ' _You really think I can't cook?_ ', before replying with an, "Of course I can cook. We just don't have any food."

"Don't tell me. Food in your house is considered a material possession right?" He sussed out, Shouji nodding.

"We buy enough food to last us but never in excess. However it seems that tonight our... frugal... natures have put me in a bit of a bind." Shouji frowned, looking back towards the main part of town. "I'll probably need to head to the supermarket before it shuts."

Tokoyami couldn't even stop himself before the words, "Why not have dinner at my place?" Tumbled out of his mouth, much to both his and Shouji's surprise.

"I couldn't possibly intrude on your privacy Tokoyami," Shouji started, but Tokoyami had dug himself into this hole now and he may as well see how far it would go.

"It's not a problem, really, my mother'd be over the moon that I even bothered to bring a friend home," He explained nervously, thinking about his mother's reaction. She'd probably explode from happiness that he was being social or she'd be too shell shocked to really function. Either way, he doubted she'd be upset if he explained the situation.

"Tokoyami, really, it's fi-" Shouji tried to say again, a slight blush creeping across his face.

"The supermarket shut ten minutes go," He interrupted, pointing at his own phone that he'd pulled out of his pocket.

"Oh..." There was a moment of silence. "Well then..."

"Is that a yes? I can phone my Mother and tell her in advance if that makes you feel any better," He explained, motioning to his phone.

"F-Fine," Shouji finally relented, looking everywhere except at Tokoyami, much to the bird's embarrassment. This was just an awkward situation for the both of them.

Turning away from the social awkward giant, he began to call his mother, hearing the phone pick up a few seconds after the call went through.

"Fumikage? Are you alright, you're running a little late," She asked. He could hear the worry in her voice.

"I'm fine Mother, but um, you see..." His voice trailed off as he tried to find a good way to break the news.

"Fumikage? What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing's wrong. It's just uh, well..." He looked over at Shouji who was know watching him like a cat stalking his prey, with interest. "Um, I was wondering if I could bring a friend home for dinner tonight."

"A friend?" He heard his mother mutter quietly.

"Y-Yeah, his parents are out of town and he doesn't have any food at home so I was wondering if he could have dinner with us," He explained nervously, stammering as he spoke. This was weird. This was so weird.

"Fumikage, you're not joking, right? An actual friend, like a real friend, right?" She asked, sounding almost as nervous as him.

"Y-Yeah, it's Shouji actually."

There was a moment of silence, although he swore he heard a, _'Get out the good plates! He's bringing a friend home!'_ feeling himself blushing beneath his feathers. "Okay, that's fine Fumikage! I can't believe you're actually bringing a friend home! When are you getting back? Have you eaten already? Is he a vegan?"

"Oh my god, Mother, soon. We'll be back soon. I'll talk to you later."

He hung up, absolutely mortified by her reaction although from the muffled laughter coming from Shouji, at least one of them had enjoyed the conversation. "Am I vegan?" He chuckled.

"You heard that?"

"Super hearing," He reminded him, Tokoyami's feathers bristling in sheer horror. He was sure the blush on his face was visible through his feathers now.

"I hate you sometimes," He grumbled, stalking past Shouji in the direction of his house.

This was going to be a **long** evening.

* * *

 **A/N - Quite a short little chapter here! Shouji and Kouda totally collaborated to find Tokoyami's group that day. It won't ever be shown in story I don't think, but those two are right detectives figuring out where the three would be.**

 **Next chapter, Mrs. Tokoyami meets her future son-in-la- I mean, Mezou Shouji and Tokoyami is going to completely mortified and possibly traumatized throughout the entire ordeal. And just wait until Dark Shadow's teasing kicks in as well. It's gonna be fun!**


	19. The Melancholy of Fumikage Tokoyami

**A/N - Dark Shadow's speech is being changed from this point on. When he's talking in Tokoyami's mind, he will use _bold italics_ however when talking to other people, he will use standard bold.**

* * *

 **Chapter 19 - The Melancholy of Fumikage Tokoyami!**

Tokoyami's heart was pounding.

They were just a few streets away from his house and with his best friend in tow, both of them appearing somewhat awkward about the whole arrangement. He had never brought anybody home before. It was always a private place for him, a place where he was in his own element away from everything else. His entire room was an extension of this, with the dark moody lighting and the occult atmosphere.

 ** _"Oh, how embarrassing,"_** Dark Shadow cooed in his head, lapping up the tension with his devious voice.

 _"Hmph, what do you want?"_ He replied angrily. He still wasn't happy with his Quirk for going overboard yesterday and while he knew that some of the blame could be placed on his own emotions and lack of focus, he wanted an excuse to keep Dark Shadow out of the night's proceedings. But he had a horrible feeling that wasn't going to happen.

 _ **"I just wanted to say how proud I am, Fumikage,"**_ The spirit replied. _**"You're bringing a boy home!"**_

 _"You are insufferable,"_ He grumbled, although not before noticing that Shouji was glancing at him weirdly. "What?"

"You're frowning."

"Oh." Apparently he still couldn't control his face when it came to chatting with his companion, and with that knowledge came another flush of embarrassment. He hadn't even made it home yet and he already felt ready to sink into the ground.

"I'm guessing Dark Shadow's chatting with you?" Shouji speculated, Tokoyami giving him a faint nod.

"And he's just leaving, isn't that right Dark Shadow," He growled out loud.

Dark Shadow decided to do the opposite, slinking out from Tokoyami to glance over at Shouji inquisitively. For a moment, Tokoyami considered severing Dark Shadow's connection, his dream flashing to mind for a single moment, hands tensing up, before he shook his head, coming to his senses. The last thing he needed was to make a scene, especially with Dark Shadow.

 **"So, Shouji, how much is he paying you?"**

"Excuse me?" The taller boy replied.

"Shut up, Dark Shadow," Tokoyami groaned, grasping the darkness that Dark Shadow was tethered to, pulling it back away from his friend.

 **"Oh come on, you've kept me cooped up all day, I need exercise Fumikage,"** The spirit replied, darting towards his user, yellow eyes glinting with energy.

"And you expect me to let you out after a massive battle yesterday?" He replied, gritting his teeth as Dark Shadow whirled around him to settle on his shoulder.

"You're like two kids, I swear," Shouji muttered, looking at the bickering duo with a pair of smiles from his extra mouths.

The bickering between Tokoyami and his Quirk lasted for a good five minutes, the group not even realizing that by the time they had settled their disagreement, with Tokoyami begrudgingly letting Dark Shadow rest around his neck, they had already reached his house. Blinking, Tokoyami suddenly felt the nerves from before shoot through his body as he realized he was about twenty seconds away from Shouji being in his house.

"This house is a lot more... homely than I expected," Shouji admitted, looking over at his friend with a curious gaze. "I thought you were more of a 'brooding dark castle, stone statue' sort of guy."

"Indeed, I'll admit my home is much brighter than I make it out to be," He replied, pushing open his front gate, gesturing for Shouji to walk in first. It was only manners after all.

The trio walked up the path, coming to a stop at the front door where Tokoyami quickly fumbled to grab his keys out of his pocket. His hands were shaking in trepidation, although for what reason he had no clue.

Fighting villains was calming, battling his classmates was therapeutic. But god forbid he invite someone around to his house like a normal human being. _**"**_ **Are you gonna stand there all evening?"** Dark Shadow teased, causing Tokoyami to jump slightly out of his stupor.

One glance back at Shouji told him that the other boy was also finding this rather weird experience to be just as awkward as he was. It seemed neither of them were used to actually going around to friend's houses and he imagined it was probably a first time for the other as well. "Right, sorry," He stammered, moving to unlock the door.

So when the front door swung itself open inwards, Tokoyami suddenly finding himself with nothing to lean on, all that he could do was choke out a gasp as he slipped forwards and tumbled onto the floor.

"Fumikage, what are you doing on the floor?" He heard the voice of the devil say, looking up to see his mother standing there, looking both flustered and concerned. But as her eyes darted away from her fallen son to Dark Shadow, who was floating next to their guest, her eyes lit up. "You must be Shouji!" She almost squealed in that way that only a mother could.

"Did you have to open the door as I was unlocking it?" Tokoyami grumbled, pushing himself off the floor, his feathers all tussled and matted.

"Did you have to hang up the phone before I was done talking with you?" She replied sternly, giving him the verbal lashing before turning her attention back to Shouji. "Welcome to our home, come in, come in," She sweetly motioned.

The group awkwardly shuffled inside, Tokoyami's Mother hovering over the two boys like a hawk as he led Shouji through into their cosy little living room. Both of them were still quite nervous, but Tokoyami could feel himself just barely relaxing as he was now in a familiar setting. His house at least had that going for it.

"Alright, food should be ready in about a half hour," She explained excitedly, looking up at Shouji who was idling fidgeting with a photo in the mantelpiece. She leaned over, looking at the photo before giving a small coo of appreciation. "That was Fumikage Age 4 at Nursery."

Tokoyami snapped towards the photo, reaching out to grab it quickly, but Shouji was too quick, lifting it up just high enough that Tokoyami himself couldn't reach.

 _"Dark Shadow, help me please!"_ He asked pressingly.

 _ **"And miss his reaction, no way,"**_ His Quirk replied, Tokoyami reminding himself to seriously give him Quirk a verbal lashing after Shouji had left.

"Shouji, please put it down," He begged, a slight whine in his voice as he tried to grab the photo again.

The taller boy chuckled, scanning the cute picture of the bird quietly before settling it down on the mantle. "You never told me your feathers used to be all grey and fluffy."

Tokoyami gave him his patented death glare before storming off in annoyance to his bedroom door, Shouji giving him a pat on the back before deciding it would be best to follow. The last thing he needed was his friend leaving him alone with his somewhat overzealous mother.

"Oh Shouji, are you vegan?" Mrs. Tokoyami asked quickly as he excited the room.

"No, I'll eat anything," He replied stiffly, trying not to sound to casual as he followed the figure of his friend to wherever his room was.

Tokoyami stopped outside of his room, pausing for a moment before grabbing the door handle. "Promise you won't laugh," He said back to his friend, Shouji looking at his bedroom door curiously. "Seriously. Don't laugh. I'm..."

"Tokoyami?" Shouji asked, noticing his hesitation.

"I'm not good with showing other people my interests, alright," He admitted, creaking open the door.

Pushing open the door and stepping into his bedroom, he quickly braced himself for some sort of reaction from his friend. Shouji stepped inside, glancing around at the dark, brooding, gothic decorations that made up Tokoyami's room. Tokoyami, breathing a sigh of relief at being away from his mother, sat on his bed, glancing up at the other boy who was still looking around the room.

"I know it's quite a bit and the decor is rather drast-"

"It suits you," Shouji interrupted, Tokoyami feeling himself heat up from embarrassment. "You've got that whole mysterious darkness thing going on right? If you enjoy it, who am I to judge you, y'know."

Though Tokoyami was feeling extremely nervous about the whole thing, Shouji's words eased the pangs of fear inside of him, giving him a warm fuzzy feeling that he wasn't sure how to express. Was he happy? He wasn't sure.

"T-Thank you, I guess," He spluttered, motioning for Shouji to take his desk chair since there was nothing else in the room to sit on aside from the bed, and he had a feeling Shouji would rather sit on the chair.

The taller boy gratefully took the seat, letting a small silence fall on the two of them, Dark Shadow glancing around at both of them with annoyed eyes.

 **"Really? You're just going to sit in silence?"** He stated, Tokoyami looking away awkwardly, Shouji doing the same.

"I don't often have company so I'm unsure as to... well..." He trailed off, looking to Shouji for any sort of idea.

"You're looking at the guy who has no earthly desires remember," The taller boy reminded him, folding his arms awkwardly. "I'm not exactly good at this sort of stuff either."

 **"You are both awful, oh my god,"** Dark Shadow drawled, slinking over towards the desk. **"You have a message by the way, Fumikage."**

Tokoyami glanced up at the desk, noticing that his laptop was slightly ajar. He crawled across the bed, hopping off to look at the computer screen, Shouji sliding the desk chair out of the way to give him better access to the computer.

"It's the group chat," He muttered, looking over the messages.

* * *

 **Alien Queen: We're on the news guys! Have you seen it?!**

 **Froppy: It looks like all of us have been featured for the USJ attack. Ribbit.**

 **Uravity: I think it's pretty cool! It's only shots of us leaving the building though...**

 **AllMightFan1: Thank god that report went out after we went out today. I don't think I'd like being recognized very much.**

"It seems we missed out on something important," Shouji said.

"Judging by how my mother was acting, I don't think my folks saw the report," He replied, feeling just a little more worried than he had been previously. "She worries... a lot."

"I know, I was chatting with her last night," Shouji reminded him, Tokoyami glaring back at the tall boy for the betrayal.

 **Tsukuyomi: I just got home. What is this about a news report?**

 **Invisagirl: WE'RE ON THE NEWS! 3 3 3 :D**

 **Anima: Yeah... we got featured...**

 **Cellophane: It was so cool! You looked badass in that cape Tokoyami! And Shouji carrying Mineta out of the camera was hilarious.**

He felt his feathers bristle in embarrassment, hearing Shouji chuckling as one of his arms extrended around the side of Tokoyami's shoulder to watch the rest of the conversation.

 **Uravity: Oh yeah, did you and Shouji get home safely alright? You guys had a ways to walk so we weren't sure if anybody had come up to you about the report.**

 **Tsukuyomi: We made it out of the city just fine. He's actually here with me since his parents are away at the moment.**

Before clicking send, he gave a quick glance to Shouji to see if he was fine with that info being posted. The older boy nodded, giving him permission.

 **AllMightFan1: HI SHOUJI!**

 **Anime: Hey Shouji.**

 **Froppy: Oh, hey Shouji.**

 **Yaoyorozu: Hello there Shouji!**

 **Grape Juice: Two boys... Together at Tokoyami's place? Do my eyes deceive me?**

Tokoyami turned to his friend, a mortified expression present on his features.

"Let me handle this," Shouji sighed, moving towards the keyboard.

 **Tsukuyomi: Mineta. This is Shouji. One more word and I'll have Aizawa revoke your privileges to train in the same grounds as the girls.**

 **Alien Queen: Ooooooooh! Can you do that anyway?**

 **Uravity: Agreed.**

 **Yaoyorozu: I also concur.**

 **Invisagirl: Me too! :D**

 **Grape Juice: Uwah!? Shoujiiiiii!?**

 **Tsukuyomi: You started this Mineta.**

Tokoyami couldn't control the laughter he was trying to stifle as the group continued to get on Mineta's case about his perverse thoughts, that initial comment of Mineta's being buried under everything else going on. Shouji was grinning, watching the carnage unfold, before leaning back to look at his friend.

"Happy now?"

"Very much so," He replied, an amused twinkle in his eye.

"Anyway, I'll pass it back on to you." Shouji scooted out of the way, moving the computer back over to Tokoyami.

 **Tsukuyomi: Shouji says hi, by the way.**

 **AllMightFan1: So this is what a chat of heroes is like!**

 **Uravity: I think you might be going a bit overboard there Deku.**

 **Alien Queen: SO SHOUJI...**

"Okay, this is getting idiotic, sit on the bed," He grumbled, picking up his laptop and plopping down on the bed, Shouji hesitantly following him. "Since they wish to talk with us both, it should be easier if we can both sit down." He wouldn't admit it but his legs had started to ache from standing in one place so long, so when he sat down, he felt a massive weight lifted off of his legs.

"What does she want?" Shouji cautiously asked, looking at Ashido's message.

 **Alien Queen: I hear you were blushing down at the park today!**

"Oh for goodness sake," He grumbled, glaring at Uraraka's username with an intense passion.

"It's fine, really," Shouji replied, looking at whatever Ashido was about to message next.

 **Tsukuyomi: This is Shouji. What do you want to know?  
**

 **Alien Queen: Who you were blushing about, duh!?**

 **Invisagirl: Omg yes! Shouji, you're so stoic most of the time! I didn't know you could blush! :D**

 **Uravity: Mina, he didn't want to talk about it earlier...**

 **Tsukuyomi: No, it's fine, really. Ashido is curious as I'm sure the rest of you were as well.**

"That's no reason to get peer pressured into talking about things you don't want to talk about," Tokoyami muttered, Shouji ignoring his words, opting to continue typing.

 **Tsukuyomi: If you must know, I was thinking about someone close to me.**

 **ManliestMan: Woah, Tokoyami's thinking about someone close to him!**

Alien Queen: It's Shouji using Tokoyami's account, idiot Kirishima!

 **ManliestMan: Idiot!?**

Shouji and Tokoyami both continued to watch the chat, suddenly turning into the Ashido Kirishima battle of the century before Tokoyami decided to just close the laptop altogether, opting to just sit back on his bed with a sigh. "You'd think our class would have a little more tact about them."

The taller boy laughed at that, looking towards the laptop, raising his brow as he said, "Ashido and tact?"

"You are right, I was looking for something that clearly does not exist."

"I don't know why the girls have such a desire to find out who I consider close to me," Shouji admitted, looking up at the dark gloomily lit ceiling of Tokoyami's room. "Is it really that important?"

"Well you were blushing," Tokoyami grinned, sitting up a bit. He may not enjoy gossip as much as the next person but that didn't mean he wasn't interested himself. Who could make the stoic and powerful Shouji blush like that. It had to be someone special. "Whoever it was, they should probably consider themselves lucky."

Shouji made a surprised noise that sounded like a choke or a yelp, although Tokoyami dismissed it after giving his friend an odd stare.

"Let's just change the conversation," Shouji finally said uncomfortably. "While I don't dislike discussing private information when with people I trust, I'd rather just leave it at that."

"No, of course," Tokoyami nodded, shutting his eyes for a moment.

"What about your talk with Midoriya?"

Tokoyami's eyes flashed open as he suddenly remembered the other revelation of the day. Midoriya's secret, and he had permission to tell Shouji given he was already heavily suspecting something.

"I almost forgot about that." Tokoyami looked towards the door, then back to Shouji, finally closing his eyes and whispering, "This stays between us. Midoriya has entrusted me with a secret and has given me permission to tell you."

"Is it that serious?" Shouji asked.

Tokoyami nodded, looking straight into Shouji's eyes as he said, "I was right."

"What?"

Tokoyami took a deep breath before explaining the situation to Shouji. He talked about All Might's Quirk and how Midoriya had inherited it, how All Might had begun to wane in his power and most importantly, how the information in the wrong hands could be lethal, not just for All Might or Midoriya, but for U.A. and everyone else as well.

When he finished explaining the situation, he could see the conflict raging behind Shouji's eyes as the taller boy tried to process what he'd just been told.

"If I had known it was this serious," He started. "I would never have asked or looking into it."

"I know, I felt the same. I didn't realize putting the dots together would cause them so much grief," He grumbled, looking down at his bedroom floor with a melancholic gaze.

"So what now?"

"We keep the secret," Tokoyami replied quietly. "I uh... I want to apologize for last night."

Tokoyami turned to his friend, guilt written across his face like a billboard. He had let his emotions get the better of him last night and he'd left some silly little apology before he left this morning. How half-assed was that.

"Tokoyami, I said last night, it's fine," Shouji started, but Tokoyami interrupted.

"No, it's not fine. You were trying to help and I just kept rejecting you and getting pissed off." Tokoyami scrunched his hands up against his blankets, feeling that tension from the night before seeping back in quickly. "I was an awful friend."

He was surprised to feel Shouji's arms wrap around him, eyes widening as his friend pulled him into a rather manly hug. It took him a moment to process just what was happening but after a few moments he could only utter out, "W-What?"

"Kouda told me I was a good hugger. And you looked like you needed a hug," Shouji replied innocently, pulling Tokoyami close for the time being. It was a weird moment for the pair of them but it wasn't something that was inherently uncomfortable. In fact, Tokoyami found himself unwilling to let go as he felt himself calming down from his anger. "I told you at USJ. If you need someone to vent to, talk to or have comfort you, I'm here and willing to listen."

Tokoyami let out a soft smile, placing his head against Shouji's chest for a moment, feeling his friend tense up.

And then his mother burst into the room.

"Boys, dinner is rea- Oh. Fumikage, I didn't know you liked hugs," She blurted out, a surprised smile gracing her lips.

"I'm the class's platonic hugger," Shouji replied with a grin as Tokoyami scrambled to untangle himself from Shouji's many arms. "People in our class say I'm great when it comes to comforting people, that's all."

"I'm going to kill you," Tokoyami muttered under his breath, his seriousness back in full swing as he glared at Shouji.

All the while, Dark Shadow was laughing his ass off in the corner.

* * *

 **A/N - Just one bit of embarrassment after the next for poor Tokoyami. This was a surprisingly tough chapter to write. I'm not 100% happy with it but I really liked writing Shouji's hug. Neither of them are really aware of the strength of their feelings for each other yet but obviously that's because one of them has the emotional range of a Hot Topic and the other has literally never wanted in his life.**

 **God I love these two! Next chapter, it's back to U.A. as we start the Sport's Festival Arc!**


	20. Carrying the Birdun!

**A/N - Before we begin, some people here on asked if the main pairing of this fic was Tokoyami and Shouji. My answer is, yes. Since I'm dual-posting this fic here and on AO3, I forgot that you guys here don't get any of the fun tags that AO3 has. But yeah, Tokoyami/Shouji is the main ship I'm gunning for here. If that's not your thing, we're 20 chapters in, may as well stick with it, amirite.  
(Yes, the chapter title is a pun)**

* * *

 **Chapter 20 - Carrying the _Bird_ un! **

As the students of Class 1-A began to arrive the next morning for their first few lessons of school, wondering just what they'd be learning that day and who would be replacing Aizawa while he was in the hospital, most of the class were completely unprepared for two of their classmates' entrances.

Midoriya and Uraraka were chatting with Iida like normal. Kouda, Todoroki and Jirou were discussing stuff. Aoyama was content to sit on his own like usual, everybody else was already there, gossiping about the news report from the night before, or in the case of Bakugou, scowling every time someone tried to talk to him, sans Kirishima who seemed to be the only person he could tolerate.

And yet when the door opened and everyone glanced at the door, they were almost stunned into silence as Shouji strided in, giving a nod to everyone as he entered.

"Uh, what?" Sero pointed out, looking at Shouji with a confused grin on his face.

Shouji cocked his head to the side. "What?"

"You, uh, you..."

And then, rising up from behind Shouji's back, the rather sleepy looking head of Tokoyami popped over Shouji's shoulder, glancing around the room as he slowly began to realize where he was, giving a rather gloomy look towards the rest of the class. With a chuckle, Shouji sent one of his arms around to Tokoyami's ear to whisper for him to wake up.

"Did you carry Tokoyami all the way here?" Kouda asked quietly, moving over to the pair.

Shouji nodded, looking back at his friend who had slipped off of his back and was brushing his clothes off. Tokoyami turned to the others, giving a rather subdued wave as he sat down at his desk.

"He was extremely tired and..." Shouji glanced at the floor awkwardly. "I needed to apologize for something last night."

"Apologize?" Midoriya asked, looking over at the pair. "Did something happen while you were at Tokoyami's house last night?"

Mineta's ears perked up at that, the boy glaring at the duo before hissing, "What could boys be getting up to in the dead of night!? How... _lewd_!"

"It was nothing like that you creepy imp," Tokoyami grumbled, clearly not in the mood for any of Mineta's words.

"I won't go into details since I don't think Tokoyami could forgive me if I did," Shouji explained, throwing a glance back at the bird who was ruffling his feathers in annoyance. "It was just something I said to his mother."

"You didn't," Ashido gasped. "How scandalous, Shouji!"

"I didn't say anything rude," Shouji spluttered, realizing how his words had came out.

Tokoyami placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head, wanting this conversation to be **over** sooner rather than later. The actual truth of the matter was a little more... severe.

Sure, the cover story was that Tokoyami was upset at Shouji for something he said to his mother. And he definitely had a lot to say at dinner the night before. Especially about how amazing Tokoyami's Quirk was and that he'd be a great Hero. It'd be reassuring if it wasn't for his mother being so much of a mother-hen that she'd asked Shouji to look after Tokoyami for her.

And his reply had left Tokoyami mortified. "It's my full time job," He'd said as a joke. And when Shouji left that night, his mother had badgered him about what that meant and about his friendship with the taller boy. And that was reason enough for him to get his own back on Shouji...

But really, the real reason why Tokoyami had been carried to school...

* * *

 _Earlier that Morning_

Tokoyami stumbled out of his room, at 4 am, shaking. His mind was racing, his heart was beating fast and he could feel the familiar sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. He had experienced another nightmare that traumatized his sleep that night. Luckily the images were already fading away from his mind as he splashed his eyes with cold water, wishing for nothing more than to catch up on the sleep he had been missing over the past two nights. And with school in the morning, he knew he'd be feeling it extra badly.

Walking out of the bathroom. he was feeling seriously out of it as he headed back to his bedroom, deciding to abandon sleep for the night and dump himself by his desk, doing his usual computer check to see if anybody was actually up. Kouda was asleep. Apparently it was just too late for him to be up but he could see Shouji was up for some reason.

He went to type up a message but paused for a moment. He didn't want to bother Shouji for the second night in the row but nobody else was online and unlike the night before, he felt he needed to make it up to the guy.

 **Tsukuyomi: Hey, uh, are you awake?**

 **Tentacle: I left my phone on while I was asleep but if you need to talk, I'm here.**

 **Tsukuyomi: Oh, no it's fine. Sorry for bothering you.** **  
**

He felt a flash of guilt as he looked away from the computer, his eyes drifting around to the dimly lit bed sitting against the wall of his room. The last thing he wanted to do was cause another nightmare but sleeping was something he knew he'd need to do eventually. When his eyes glanced back to the computer, he saw that Shouji had replied, a little more forcefully this time.

 **Tentacle: Fumikage Tokoyami. I have told you may times that you are not a bother. I will never consider you a bother and I told your mother I'd keep an eye on you. So please can you tell me what's up?**

 **Tsukuyomi: I had another nightmare.**

 **Tentacle: Again? That's the second night in a row... How are you feeling?**

 **Tsukuyomi: I feel awful. Like my soul is being pushed and pulled in different directions, like I'm about to fall into darkne-**

 **Tentacle: Now in Layman's Terms.**

 **Tsukuyomi: Like shit.**

 **Tentacle: That's a little easier to digest. There anything I can do to help?**

 **Tsukuyomi: Unless you know how to help me catch up on sleep, no.**

 **Tentacle: Actually... Hey, when you head to school, meet me at the Crossroads. I've got an idea.**

He found himself quietly drifting towards the front door of his house, his mother looking him twice over before sending him out the door. She had insisted on driving him to school herself but when he mentioned he was walking with Shouji, she agreed to let up, but only because she liked Shouji and thought he was a good influence on him.

He couldn't help but agree on that point at least.

"Honey, let him go," His father had said, looking out of the study door for once in his life to actually acknowledge them. "He'll be fine if he's with that boy, Shouji, right?"

"She just said that," He grumbled, glaring at both his parents as he slunk on out of the door, not bothering to chat with either of them as he left.

He was quite privileged to still have parents, but having one be too busy to talk to him and one be so hell-bent on him not becoming a Hero, it was stressful. It must have shown on his face because as he saw Shouji waiting for him by the crossroads, the other boy started their conversation with a, "You've seen better days."

"You think," He frowned, his eyes drooping slightly. Jeez, he was tired. He stifled a yawn, looking up at Shouji expectantly. "So, what's your idea?"

"Hop on my back."

Tokoyami cocked his head to the side. "Excuse me?"

"I said, hop on my back." Shouji motioned to his many hands expectantly. "Tokoyami?"

"Why the hell would I hop on your back?" He asked, confused and irritated.

"So you can sleep. You're not as heavy as you think and I need the extra weight for training. So just let me carry you to school, you can sleep on the walk, a get some extra muscle training in and you'll be fresh as a daisy when we get there," He explained, once again holding out his hands.

"How is me sleeping on your back going to help against the nightmares? They come when I sleep," He explained.

"Well then rather than sleep, just rest your eyes. Either way, I'm still carrying you."

Tokoyami wanted to find a better idea. Anything else, but he was tired. Too tired to summon Dark Shadow and certainly too tired to walk the whole way. "Fine, you win this time, Shouji."

A few minutes later, Shouji was walking down the street with a sleeping Tokoyami on his back who was having a nightmare-free rest for the first time in two days.

* * *

"And that's how we ended up carrying him to school," Shouji finished explaining to the small group of people who they had gathered. Only Midoriya, Kouda, Uraraka and Jirou had listened to the whole story, Jirou giving Shouji a sly grin that he refused to return.

Tokoyami, oblivious to everything going on around him, had taken to munching on a few apple slices to help perk himself up from the depths of low-energy mornings. Thank god he'd decided to bring some apple slices, they were the one thing keeping him from snapping someone's head off out of pure spite.

"That's an amazing strength," Midoriya fawned, looking at Shouji excitedly. "You could carry Tokoyami all the way across the city. That's so strong!"

"Of course that's what Midoriya takes out of it," Jirou laughed. Then she turned to Tokoyami, a mischievous glint in her usually rather tired eyes. "Did you like it?"

He almost choked on one of his apple slices at that, giving Jirou a patented death glare, although she shrugged it off quite quickly. "It was a good method for resting," He muttered.

"And that's all?" Jirou asked sweetly.

"Yes, that is all," He replied stone-faced.

Jirou shrugged, moving away to go sit at her own desk although he was sure he could hear her muttering something about 'denial'. What was with all of the girls? They had been constantly harassing him and Shouji for the past few days and the teasing was starting to get grating.

"I'll try and get the girls to ease up," Uraraka admitted, looking at the pair as they both seemed to slouch in their desk chairs.

"If you could, that would be nice," Shouji replied, looking at Tokoyami's irritated scowl. "I don't think he can handle much more of it right now," He whispered, just out of earshot of Tokoyami.

That was when Tooru spoke up, looking around the class excitedly (At least they assumed she was).

"Hey, I know some of us chatted about it last night, but did everyone watch the news last night?" She excitedly asked, her bubbly attitude drilling into Tokoyami's head like a migraine. "Did you see how everyone in class was on-screen for like a second? I didn't stand out at all..."

He heard Shouji reply from his left with a rather blunt, "That's true."

He noticed Ojiro tense up a few desks ahead of him before saying, "It's hard to stand out looking like that, huh?"

"But man, all the channels made a big deal out of it," Kaminari grinned, leaning back in his chair.

"I was surprised," Kirishima added.

"Can you blame them," Jirou said, looking around the room at the group. "The hero course that keeps pumping out new Pro Heroes every year was attacked." She looked at them like it was obvious and most of the group seemed to come to the same conclusion.

Sero leaned forwards on his desk, "Who knows what would've happened if the teachers hadn't come when they did."

"Stop that, Sero!" The annoyingly loud voice of Mineta screeched, piercing everybody's ears. "Just think about it..."

"Shut up! Be quiet, scum!" Bakugou roared from his desk, causing Midoriya to jump backwards in surprise, Mineta to pause in absolute fear wishing he hadn't picked a desk so close to Bakugou and Tokoyami did grumble about the pair of them causing such a ruckus. He did not need this right now.

"But man, All Might was great," Satou admired, turning to Tokoyami who realized he wouldn't be able to avoid the conversation forever. "He pushed back those crazy strong villains."

"Yes, his strength is definitely worth admiring," He replied calmly, trying to wake himself up that little bit extra. He knew he was being cranky from a two day lack of sleep, so at least he was self-aware to sort his act out.

And then, from the front of the room, any attempt at trying to sound nice for his classmates went out the window as their class rep just had to run up to the teacher's desk and shout, "Everyone! Homeroom is about to start! Stop talking and take your seats!"

"We're already in our seats," Kaminari replied, also annoyed.

"You're the only one who's not," Sero pointed out, Iida taking his seat a few moments later in complete dejection, Kouda and Uraraka trying their best to comfort the Class Rep who was clearly angry that he was the last one there.

"Tsuyu, who's..." Mina started, slipping backwards on her chair for her friend to catch. "...gonna teach homeroom today?"

That was a good point. Who was teaching them now that Mr. Aizawa was in the hospital. Tsuyu seemed to echo his thoughts, replying to Ashido with the same idea, "Well, Mr. Aizawa is supposed to be in the hospital recovering from his injuries..."

And that was when the door slid open. Everyone glanced over at the door ready to see their new teacher. But nobody could have expected a mummified, bandage-laced Mr. Aizawa to walk through the door with his usual, "Morning."

"Mr. Aizawa, you're back too soon!" Most of the class screamed in surprise, Tokoyami now convinced that whatever higher power was controlling their fates was making extra sure to keep him a miserable as possible from the noise.

"You're too much of a pro," Kaminari choked out, awe-struck.

Iida's hand shot up, "So you're all right, Mr. Aizawa?"

"Can you really call that "all right"?" Uraraka whispered from behind, looking at their teacher with horrified eyes.

Aizawa trudged towards the desk, lugging his bandaged arms to the front. "My well-being doesn't matter." He turned to face the class, "More importantly, the fight is not over yet."

Tokoyami perked up at this, suddenly much more alert at that. What could Mr. Aizawa mean? Had the villains attacked again? Were they going to have to fight them again?

"The U.A. sports festival is drawing near."

Everyone broke into sudden chatter at that, the relief flooding through the class as quickly as the tension of Aizawa's initial words had appeared. Tokoyami wasn't as surprised as the rest, seeing as he'd been chatting about the Sport's Festival with Uraraka and Midoriya the day before, but everybody else seemed beyond excited for the event.

"Is it okay to have a sports festival so soon after the villains snuck inside?" Jirou asked, voicing what the majority of the class were probably thinking.

It was a good point. The villains had just attacked U.A. and now the school wanted to open up a Sport's Festival event where everyone could attend, including villains if they wanted to, so soon after.

"What if they attack us again or something...?" Ojiro said.

"Apparently, they think of it as U.A. showing that our crisis management system is solid as a rock by holding the event," Aizawa explained solemnly. He glanced around the room, noticing the worried gazes of the students still held on their faces. "Security will also be strengthened to five times that of previous years."

He looked around at the group, a tense atmosphere beginning to grip the class at his words. Suddenly it felt like everything was a bit more real. "Above all, our sports festival is a huge chance. It's not an event to be cancelled because of a few villains."

Tokoyami knew just how important the festival was. Everyone here knew just how important it was. It would determine their first impressions in the world of heroes and showcase their talents to everyone watching.

"Our sports festival is one of Japan's biggest events. In the past, the Olympics were called a festival of sports, and the whole country was crazy about them. As you know, with reductions in scale and population, they're now a shell of their former glory. And now for Japan, what has taken the place of those Olympics is the U.A. Sport's Festival!"

"Of course, all the top heroes around the country will be watching," Momo explained calmly, clenching her fist with determination. "For scouting purposes!"

"After we graduate, it's typical to join a pro agency as a sidekick," Kaminari added.

"A lot of people miss their chance to become independent after that and become eternal sidekicks though," Jirou muttered. She turned to Kaminari, an expressionless look on her face. "Kaminari, I feel like you'd be one of them. Since you're dumb."

Aizawa ignored their ramblings, continuing to explain the Festival. "Of course, joining a famous hero agency will get you more experience and popularity. Time is limited. If you expect to go pro, then the path to your future will open up at this event. One chance a year-a total of just three chances. No aspiring heroes can afford to miss this event. If you understand that, then don't slack off on your preparations!"

And so, with the USJ set firmly behind them, the class was drawn towards the next big event of the year. The U.A. Sport's Festival, and Tokoyami did not intend to let himself fall behind. He needed to train his Dark Shadow. If he almost lost control while fighting the villains a few days prior, he'd need to train the boundaries of his Quirk and ensure that Dark Shadow was more compliant and safe to work with.

But even so, glancing around at the entire class, he could sense the determination coming from everyone else as well. He still had no idea what he wanted after U.A. but impressing the right Heroes could open up paths that he might not have known existed. So he needed to make this count. He needed to win the sports festival!

* * *

 **A/N - And so we're set up for the Festival. USJ is now behind us and we finally get to an arc where Tokoyami was naturally a part of the Main Cast for a while. And we get a lot of action scenes which I know everybody loves!**

 **Thanks for reading the story so far, the support on this fic has been crazy! See you guys in the next update!**


	21. The Tree Club! An Odd Request!

**Chapter 21 - The Tree Club! An Odd Request!**

The rest of the morning passed swiftly for Tokoyami as he found himself contemplating his next move in regards to the U.A. Festival. He knew that he needed to show his mettle and prove himself as a contender in the class and on such a grand stage, any sort of failure could be seen as a weakness. Yaoyorozu had been right, the scouts would be out in their droves and he would need to ensure that he was being scouted.

Uraraka had a spur of passion that morning as well, forcing the entire class to cheer with her about just how ready she was to face the festival head on. Thought it was a weird experience, she had somehow even gotten himself to cheer for her just like the others, when normally he'd be able to ignore that sort of clowning around. It seemed Uraraka had more of an effect on the class than anyone had realized.

He had decided to skip the Cafeteria that day, instead choosing to head to his hideaway in the trees to think about what he wanted to do. He hadn't asked Shouji or Kouda to come with him, too enthralled in his own thoughts as he clambered up the old oak tree to the very top where that large wooden platform sat. It was relaxing and easy to think when he was so high up, higher than the world and the many problems that it contained.

In order to better himself, he'd need to train up Dark Shadow's tolerance to light. It was a weakness that he needed to control, but he also needed to ensure that his training wouldn't go overboard and cause him to lose control of his Quirk like at the USJ. Though he wasn't as shaken as he had been a few days prior, there was still that wariness that he'd often get from letting her Quirk loose too much.

It was unnerving just how easy is was for Dark Shadow to really gain control. Even in moments where he felt like he was in control, such as when they were running in the USJ, the raw energy that radiated from Dark Shadow when attacking that razor haired guy... It made him tremble in discomfort still. This was something he knew he would need to just come to grips with, however.

His Quirk, in the wrong situation, was a liability. Like Mr. Aizawa would often say, mastering your Quirk is important but if you become a danger to those around you, you need to get a grip, control it or get out of there. Despite his odd mannerisms and off the wall sleeping pattern, Tokoyami had high respect for his homeroom teacher. He seemed to understand the gravity of Tokoyami's Quirk when they did Hero training lessons and that recognition was something he wasn't entirely used to.

"You thinking about something?" He heard a familiar voice ask, tilting his head to his left, leaning back as the tall form of Shouji hopped up onto the platform.

"Just the Festival," Tokoyami admitted grinning. "I find myself actually excited about the prospect of using my Quirk."

"That's good, makes a change from how you seemed to be acting the last few days."

"How'd you know that was to do with my Quirk?" He asked curiously. He hadn't told Shouji the details of his Quirk aside from the fact that it sometimes influenced his nightmares.

"Your arguments last night," Shouji explained. Right, they had argued the night before. Dark Shadow had taken to only speaking when teasing Tokoyami or something to that extent. Had he gotten that cross at Dark Shadow that Shouji had noticed something more heated than their normal banter was up? "It was harsher than normal."

Tokoyami nodded. There was no need to deny it. If his Quirk was causing problems, that was more reason for him to come out and say it so he could start on the road to recovery.

"I won't lie," Shouji started, staring at one of his many clenched fists. "I'm not looking forward to the Festival as much as the others."

"Why's that? You love this kind of stuff, right?"

"I like events with my friends. I dislike the pressure it places on us. U.A. is a strict school and the pressure it puts on us can be intense. I'm surprised more students don't just break down and cry," Shouji grimaced. He paused, looking out across the campus to the city beyond, before he pointed his hand out there. "Nobody out there could do what we have to do. That's a fact."

He didn't think that Shouji was the type to bend to pressure. Sure, he wanted to prove himself during the USJ Rescue Training and from what Shouji had explained of their side of the incident, he'd certainly shown himself well, but normally Shouji was a lot more stoic in regards to just about everything. Similar to Tsuyu, he was quite the bastion for emotional support. No wonder they were close friends.

On the flip side, Tokoyami tried to portray himself as a stoic, mysterious and often supportive figure with much less success. It came across as more edgy than mysterious and he had a feeling most of his classmates saw him as the weird one, although not in the bad kind of way. He guessed riding in on Shouji's shoulders this morning didn't help... He needed to prove himself as more than just the guy with the bird head.

"I need to show that I'm useful to real Pro Heroes, Tokoyami," Shouji explained, looking up at the blue skies. "They decide our future and if I can't show them my strengths, I don't know what I'll do..."

"You'll be fine. You've got way more uses than most of us have. You're amazing at scouting out areas and as far as physical strength goes, your grip is the strongest in the class," Tokoyami replied excitedly, doing his best to cheer up his friend. It felt weird being on the opposite end of things for once. "I know you're useful Shouji. They would have to be blinded by darkness to not see it too."

He completely missed the slight blush that tinged Shouji's face from beneath his mask after that comment, too busy looking everywhere but at the taller boy's face, but Shouji did give a soft smile back, glad for the encouragement.

"So..." Shouji began, leaning back on to the wooden platform a bit. "How are you training for the Festival?"

"About that... I have an idea but I'll need to speak to Aizawa about it," He proudly exclaimed, formulating the plan in his head. It would be difficult getting the permit for what he wanted to do, but if anybody could understand what he needed, it would be Aizawa himself. "You?"

"Ah, the usual. Gym work and training. My senses are heightened but I could do with a bit more strength in my two back hands," He explained, pointing to his two hands furthest away from the front. "They're the weakest by far."

"Your definition of weak or everyone else's definition of weak?" Shouji was known for his modesty and taking his words with a grain of salt was usually a good idea when it came to his strength.

Shouji didn't dignify his response with a reply.

"Hey, you two!" A familiar voice called from down below the tree. Their heads peered over the sides of the platform, noticing two people were standing at the bottom of the tree. The first, who had shouted up towards them, was Momo, standing there with a rather passive looking Kouda to her right. He gave a nervous wave towards them, which Tokoyami returned.

"Do you need something?" Tokoyami called down, looking at the two with curiosity at the odd pair that was standing below.

"I only want to experience the joys of climbing a tree," Momo explained excitedly, looking at the two of them with lit up eyes. "My mother and father never let me climb the trees on my estate and Kouda said he was coming out to see you two anyway, so I was wondering if I could try climbing the tree?"

"Sure," Shouji called out. "It's steep though. Want me to help?"

Kouda gave a faint nod, knowing he wouldn't be able to climb to the top of the tree on his own, however Momo declined with a smile. It seemed she wanted to relish in the challenge of climbing up the tree by herself.

A few minutes later and Momo had launched herself up the tree and onto the platform, looking no worse for wear and rather exhilarated by the climb. Kouda, on the other hand, looked a little more frazzled once he reached the wooden platform, clutching on to Tokoyami for dear life once he was up there so he wouldn't fall, much to Tokoyami's amusement.

"So this is where you both went that morning," Momo said first, looking at the two with wide eyes. "How did you even find this place?"

"Tokoyami wanted to climb a tree. We found it by accident," Shouji explained.

"I have a large forest behind my house and I used to climb the trees there all the time for training. You get the best views from the top," He said, pointing outwards towards the city.

Momo's eyes widened in surprise as she took in the view of the city, the ocean shimmering in the distance. It seemed like despite her heritage and her wealth, she didn't get out much or get to experience those same things that most teenagers took for granted. Different strokes for different folks, he assumed.

"Um, so what are you doing for the sports festival," Kouda asked timidly, twiddling his fingers as a stray bird landed on his shoulder, right next to Tokoyami's head.

Tokoyami and Shouji quickly explained their ideas once more, Tokoyami still being vague about his plans for training as he didn't want anybody knowing about Dark Shadow's weakness. Not yet at least.

"I know there won't be a lot of animals at the festival so..." Kouda looked downwards dejectedly. "My Quirk will be useless..."

"You shouldn't say that Kouda. Your Quirk is amazing at allowing you to see things that nobody else can. With your animals, you're able to cover a massive range of areas in a short time. It may not be suited to fighting, but as a support Quirk, it's truly a marvel," Tokoyami replied lazily, as if stating something that everyone should know, Kouda included.

Said boy blushed quietly, not used to the compliments of any form, Momo giving him a warm smile as well. No matter what, it was clear that Momo was the mother of the group. Despite her own cultural shortcomings, she was easily one of the most supportive members of the class. He remembered her advice from the bus before reaching the USJ and how she had gone out of her way to make him feel better. She was one of a kind.

"What about you, Momo?" Shouji asked curiously.

"As long as I know my opponents, I should be able to formulate a plan quite effectively," She explained. "And with my Creation Quirk, as long as I understand my situation, I should be ready to form anything." She glanced around the three of them for a moment before finishing. "I may even have to prepare for fights with you."

"Just know that I won't back down," Tokoyami replied to that final comment, making the others jump a little. "We have all got something we must prove. I hope that we can all prove ourselves in the arena."

* * *

The rest of lunch was spent in a comfortable silence until the school bell rang and the group headed back to class for the afternoon. They had to do some simple combat routines, nothing too extreme, until finally the bell for the end of the school day ended and the class began to file out of the room. Only Tokoyami hesitated, Shouji looking back at him confused.

"I'll catch up," He explained, pointing to Aizawa, who was wrapping up that afternoon's homeroom. With an understanding nod, Shouji took off, probably to wait for him at the front gates. "Excuse me, Mr. Aizawa?"

"What do you want? It's after hours," His teacher drawled, looking at him with those bloodshot eyes of his, the only part of his face visible through the white strips around him.

"I wanted to make a request," He said.

Aizawa glared at him through the bandages, having heard this sort of stuff before. "A request?"

"Yes. I am sure you are aware of the circumstances of my Quirk."

Aizawa was standing halfheartedly, although by the way his eyes were focused solely on him, it seemed he was listening to Tokoyami's words. He was a tough teacher to read and there was no way of knowing just what the guy was thinking. He'd hidden his expressions for so long in his line of work, that Poker Face was more intimidating than any he'd seen before. And combine that with his bandages from his injuries and there was a zero percent chance that his intentions could be seen.

"Get to the point," He stated, waving off Tokoyami as the boy's expression became flustered at the dismissal.

"R-Right," Tokoyami muttered, looking at his teacher, determined. "I wish to request access to the school's field during the night time."

Aizawa stared at him for a few moments before turning away, stepping towards the door. "You know that's against school policy, correct."

"Mr. Aizawa, I have no other way of training my Quirk," He begged, looking at his teacher, a fire in his eyes. Nowhere else would work. The darkness would just swallow him up and then there'd be an accident, an incident or something else entirely. The lights in the field were bright enough that controlling his Quirk's power and giving it a tolerance to artificial sunlight would be helpful for the tournament and his safety. He doubted the tournament would be held at night, after all, so challenging his weaknesses made sense.

"You are determined, Tokoyami, I'll give you that," Aizawa said, now at the door. The man paused, hand on the doorframe as he stated a simple question. "Do you believe in yourself?"

"Of course I do," Tokoyami replied coolly. He used to hesitate when asked about his own power. But he needed to shake off the worries that USJ had implanted in him and if facing his fears head on would sort out Dark Shadow and his nightmares in one go, he had no other choice but to go for it. "Without this training, I will not be able to perform my best at the Sports Festival. It would not be _logical_ to not allow me to train in my element," He explained.

Aizawa held logic and rationality above all else when doing his duty. And Tokoyami's simple argument was logical. To be refused, it would be the most irrational decision the school could make.

"Look at you, talking to me about rationality," Aizawa murmured, turning back towards the boy.

"I did not mean to offend yo-"

"I'm not angry. Do I look annoyed?" Aizawa asked, pointing to that exhausted mummified face. Truth be told, he looked downright pissed off, even through the injuries, but it was far from in Tokoyami's best interests to say that. Even he knew when to shut up. "You're the first student to actually come to me for advice, instead of All Might."

All Might was more well rounded and he imagined most of the class could learn from him. But Aizawa had the advantage of more strategic battle knowledge. He was able to handle groups of Villains and keep them at bay with his Quirk, while developing on his weaknesses to make them strengths. His battle prowess was certainly more illustrious than the raw power of All Might.

"Fine. Midnight, at the front gate, meet me here and I'll allow you access to the field to train your Quirk. But don't waste my time. You will be here to train."

And so he found himself with an extra lesson that night with Aizawa. As he emerged from the school, Shouji greeted him with a wave, Kouda next to him. It seemed that Kouda wanted to walk home with them that day and who was he to say no.

"So did you talk with Aizawa?" Shouji asked, clearly interested in what that was all about.

"Mhm, I've got some extra work," Tokoyami explained.

"Extra work? Are you, um, sure that's okay..." Kouda muttered, clearly concerned for the boy.

"It's fine. I'm having a lesson at midnight tonight with Aizawa," He explained. "Dark Shadow needs some training and doing it at night with a teacher present would help me greatly." He avoided mentioning the potential for Dark Shadow to go out of control, although he noticed Kouda give him a knowing stare, while he was sure Shouji was suspecting something.

But if the taller boy had figured it out, he wasn't saying anything, as usual.

Tokoyami couldn't worry about that now though. He had one major task to overcome.

Telling his parents about his midnight lesson.

* * *

 **A/N - I say this every chapter, but I really liked this one! Aizawa legit seems like the perfect teacher for Tokoyami and I think there could be a serious amount of respect between the two there. I'd like to emphasize how Tokoyami prefers Aizawa to All Might and this should help a bit.**

 **And now Kouda's walking home with Shouji and Tokoyami now. If he wasn't a part of the group before, he is now!**


	22. A Family Meltdown! Aizawa's Training!

**Chapter 22 - A Family Meltdown! Aizawa's Training Session!**

"Absolutely not!"

Tokoyami's mother frowned, pursing her lips in complete and utter outrage at her son's demands. Tokoyami scowled, throwing his hands up in the air with a massive sigh, wishing he had been more lucky in the lottery that was life. And all through it, Tokoyami's father sat to the side, trying not to get involved with a newspaper in his hand. Who even read those anymore?

"If I don't get this training, I'll never become stronger," He replied angrily.

"I am not having my son walk through the city at night to go training with a teacher I have never even met!" His mother shouted firmly. "Honey, tell him!"

Tokoyami's father looked up from his newspaper, feigning knowledge of the conversation with a quaint, "What was that, Dear?"

She took a rather deep breath, giving his father the sternest look she had ever given. If looks could kill, his dad would be stone dead where he sat and judging by his lax stance on all of this, he imagined that prospect was not too far off regardless.

"I will not repeat myself!" She snapped, walking up to her husband, grabbing his newspaper and ripping it from his hands in an instant. "Now listen, I will not have our son roaming around the city in the dead of night just so he can play at being a hero."

"I'm not playing," Tokoyami snapped furiously. "I am training to become a Pro Hero."

"You are fifteen years old," His mother replied coldly. "The fact that people your age can even be considered Heroes is horrible."

"That's not the poin-"

"There is no point, Fumikage!" His Mother interrupted, slamming her hands down on their dining table loudly. "I am forbidding you from this extra lesson. In fact, I think you would benefit from a transfer."

His blood ran cold at those words, looking to his father for some kind of support, but the man had already retreated to the far end of the sofa. How had a simple request to do an extra lesson at night turned into a full on family feud? He had to wonder just how much concern his mother had for his chosen career.

"Is that how you really feel, about my future?" He spat out, storming past his mother to his room. He couldn't deal with this right now. "It is **my** future!" He yelled, slamming his bedroom door with a loud thunk. So much for what he wanted though, right?

The first thing he did when he walked away from the door was grab the nearest pillow and hurl it at the wall in frustration. Anything to take out the anger that was slowly coursing through his veins like a wildfire.

His mother's overly worried personality had finally boiled over after a month of constant worrying. And sure, he couldn't blame her for being concerned. He'd been out of commission after the Entrance Exam, he'd been attacked by Villains a few days prior and he was sure she knew his nightmares were acting up again. But she was so controlling as a result.

He needed that freedom to make his own choices, to do what he needed to do to make his own future. It wasn't the same world that she grew up in. The world moved on since then and while he knew he was acting rather childish slamming his door, shouting back, all that jazz... He knew what he needed to do and he knew what was best for his future. He'd been the one to study up on Heroes.

And his father was no help either. Sure, he was supportive of his son getting into U.A. but now he wasn't his problem anymore. There was no need for a private tutor or to even talk with Tokoyami, according to his father's business meetings and work hours. He knew people who never saw their parents or who didn't even have parents and he should feel bad for arguing with the two people he should be grateful for having in his life... But no. He just couldn't see it that way.

He felt like he was being held back and now that he was training to be a Hero, it was sinking in just how much his parents didn't actually support his goal. Sure, his motivations for becoming a Hero were as trivial as, ' _I'd like to study at U.A.'_ But even so, after USJ, he knew he could at least make some difference. Without him, Kouda might not have made it, and if these little victories taught him anything, it's that he enjoyed saving lives.

"I can't deal with this right now," He sighed, pulling his laptop off of his desk towards his bed. He didn't feel like sitting as his desk, but laying in his bed for a few minutes was a different story altogether.

Shouji was offline for the night. Kouda was also away, probably caring for the adorable bunny rabbit that he constantly posted pictures of online. But he did notice that Midoriya was online and, surprisingly, he'd changed his screen name.

 **Tsukuyomi: You around Midoriya?**

 **Deku: Oh, hey Tokoyami! Need something?**

 **Tsukuyomi: Someone to talk to, I guess...**

 **Deku: What's up? What about Shouji or Kouda?**

He hesitated, looking up at the ceiling in silence. He could feel Dark Shadow form around his legs, not speaking for once. Perhaps even Dark Shadow was a little fearful of his mother's threats. The Quirk apparently liked U.A. as well. Looking back at his laptop, he typed up a small, honest reply.

 **Tsukuyomi: Away, and I think you might get where I'm coming from here a bit more than they would.**

 **Deku: Really? How so?**

 **Tsukuyomi: My mother's threatening to transfer me from U.A. because I want to train with Aizawa tonight.**

Writing it down certainly helped to get his feelings out there. He wasn't the type to cry, but emptying his feelings through his words was a good alternative and seeing the situation on his screen certainly helped his perspective, although he was surprised by Midoriya's frantic reply.

 **Deku: WHAT?! A TRANSFER!? YOU CAN'T LEAVE! WE MADE IT TO U.A. TOGETHER!**

He smiled at that, feeling a little warm and fuzzy inside. Their friendship started over their mutual bonding of wanting to go to U.A. and obviously they'd met in person for the first time at the exam. Midoriya's concern was... touching.

 **Tsukuyomi: It's the last thing I want, either. I may not always show it but I really do enjoy U.A.**

 **Deku: Okay, what's the big problem your mother has?**

 **Tsukuyomi: She's afraid that I could end up hurt. And she doesn't want me going to the school at night since that means travelling at night through the city, which is 'dangerous'.**

 **Deku: Hmmm... Okay, what if I schedule a training session with All Might tonight. My mother won't mind. And then we can go together.**

Well, that sorted out the having no company issue. But the slight issue of a family argument and the conflicting morals of his parents towards himself were also quite pressing.

 **Tsukuyomi: Doesn't change my mother wanting to take me out of U.A.**

 **Deku: I could try talking to her. I've heard my smile can win over anybody!**

 **Tsukuyomi: It won over my friendship...**

 **Deku: Awwww, you're such a big softie really!**

 **Tsukuyomi: Tell anyone and I'll have Shouji set Mineta on you.**

 **Deku: You wouldn't daaaaaare!**

In reality, Tokoyami was scoffing at Midoriya's suggestion. There was no way that he'd be able to actually convince his mother. If Shouji wasn't enough to keep his mother from worrying, he highly doubted Midoriya would have the same effect. But he needed to train.

 **Tsukuyomi: Can you meet me at the crossroads near the city limits. It seems I'm going to be taking drastic action tonight.**

 **Deku: Uh, sure, I'll be there.**

And with that, Tokoyami slipped off of his bed and grabbed his rucksack. He'd need to put his training gear in there if he wanted a shot at Aizawa's tutorage that night. His parents wouldn't let him go, obviously. But what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. He'd just sneak out of his window and be back by morning. If they came in, he'd leave a note telling them where he was so they wouldn't go too ballistic and maybe try and explain his thoughts to them.

He knew the chances of him being grounded for the next few weeks would probably be high, but he wanted to become stronger and this was a potential once in a lifetime chance at using the school's facilities after hours for his Quirk.

 **Deku: Hey, uh, sorry but All Might can't train me tonight. I thought he'd say yes but he's tired.**

That threw a dent in his plans. If he wanted to train, that meant he'd be going alone. But still, he knew he'd be fine. The city was still light with the hustle and bustle of night life and as long as he stayed on the right paths, he'd be fine getting there. It was going home that concerned him. Assuming he'd spend a few hours with Aizawa, he'd be heading home in the dead of night.

He could see where the problems could crop up, but if he wanted to be a Hero and he wanted to ensure he was ready for the sports festival, there was no way he was going to let a little darkness keep him down. Besides, it was a Sunday the next day anyway. For whatever reason, unlike most schools, U.A. actually taught their students on Saturdays, but if tomorrow was a rest day, he'd at least not suffer from too little sleep.

The plan seemed sound, if a little risky with his parents. But there was no turning back as he scribbled down a small note explaining where he had gone, why he went and his feelings towards U.A. and being a Hero. He was sure his parents would check in on him, and he hoped his explanation would be enough to satisfy them. But he knew he was in for hell when he returned. Hopefully the training would be worth it.

 _ **"Look at you, being a little rebel,"**_ Dark Shadow whispered, curling around in the pit of his stomach, feeding off of the guilt that Tokoyami would soon be feeling. _**"You just don't act normal, do you. You've always got to go above and beyond what a normal person would do."**_

"You're being awfully chatty today," He muttered darkly. "As if you know what normal is anyway."

 _ **"Normal for you would be staying here and complaining to Shouji or whoever would listen. You're doing something. That's not normal."**_

That was a good point. The time for talking was over, he needed to act and start honing that intuition that he lacked. Seeing the bigger picture, figuring out his own problems, controlling the beast within. All phrases he'd heard before in his past and now he needed to start acting on all that advice he'd been given.

"Tonight is not a normal night," He stated back to his Quirk, no fear or anger in his voice as he addressed his companion. "Tonight, we'll be training. Rest up for it."

 _ **"Fine..."**_

He refused to eat dinner with his parents and stayed in his room until he saw his laptop click 9:30pm. That was when he acted. Grabbing the rucksack, he flipped it over his back, also slipping his phone in his pocket, before heading over to the dark curtains on his window. He could hear his parents in the living room watching whatever show was on TV. Quietly, he pulled open the curtains and slipped the window open.

Cold air greeted him as he felt the familiar chill of the night, something he was all too familiar with thanks to his Quirk. He pushed himself off the window sill, taking a quick look back at his room to where he left his note on the bedside table. He hoped they would at least notice it in such an obvious spot. Otherwise things would get messy.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at the grass beneath him, realizing he was actually about to do this. He was about to leap out of his ground floor window and actually sneak out of his house, for the first time in his life.

And the rush of adrenaline that coursed through his veins as he slipped down onto the cold crunchy grass was enough to spur him on, taking a few tentative steps, before bursting out into a quick jog away from the window. Silent as the wind that rustled around him, he darted towards the forest, planning on heading through the trees for a few minutes until he was far enough away that he wouldn't be noticed on the streets.

He found himself covered up by the trees in an instant and with that, he knew there would be no turning back. He was going to U.A. that night and there was nothing his parents could do to stop it. He was going to make his own way forwards and build upon his weaknesses, turn them into strengths and show his family that he could fend for himself.

* * *

The trip to U.A. was uneventful, as he had anticipated. He stuck to the city streets, keeping his head low to avoid bringing up any suspicion. He had been on the news for a few seconds the day before and the last thing he needed was someone recognizing him and calling him out. That being said, his mutation was uncommon and his bird-like features were a major problem when it came to avoiding recognition.

But luckily nobody had stopped him. Everyone that was out at night seemed interested in their own journeys. Some were heading home after a long day at work, others were on a night out or having an evening meal. Whatever the case, he blended right into the crowd and had gotten through the city fairly easily. Of course, the roughly 2 hour walk from his home to U.A. was still a long one and as he finally made his way up the final hill towards the gates, he had to brush off a large clump of sweat that had been building on his feathers.

He half expected his parents to be waiting for him at the gate, having seen the letter and come themselves, but there was no such bad luck on his part. Although he almost wished that they had come to reprimand him. It might show that they cared about what he was doing more than they had shown.

He came up the U.A. gate with ten minutes to spare and was expecting to be waiting until midnight, but as he approached the metallic door, he noticed a figure leaning against the wall. Still wrapped in bandages, he recognized the slouched appearance of his teacher before the man had noticed him.

"So you came then," Aizawa stated, sounding more awake and alert than during the day, turning to face Tokoyami. "I was starting to think you wouldn't show."

"You said midnight," Tokoyami replied calmly. "I did not wish to arrive too early or I would be stuck waiting here."

"You should listen to Iida more, he's always prattling on about being ten minutes early to everything at U.A."

"I am ten minutes early." He noticed Aizawa's bandages crinkle around the lower face. A smile perhaps?

"Alright, you've got the facilities and my tutoring for two hours, alright?" Aizawa explained, waving a hand towards the mechanical gate, which slid open without a single sound. "Though I won't be able to spar with you myself thanks to my injuries, I've enlisted some of the school's robots to fight you instead."

Tokoyami nodded gratefully. Aizawa led the way into the school, Tokoyami taking comfort in the mutual silence that both of them had enforced on themselves. It was midnight and neither he nor his teacher wished to prattle on about something unrelated to his training. He was breaking the rules to be here, so he knew he had to make it count.

They walked around the main school building, Tokoyami taking a quick glance back towards the city. In the night sky, the bright city lights lit the entire region up in a bright yellow glow. The ocean was dark and mysterious, while the woodlands around the city blended into the darkness as well. He looked in the direction of his home, noticing that there was no glow coming from that part of the countryside. Chances are his entire neighborhood had turned in for the night.

"Hurry up," He heard his teacher say, noting how he had stopped to look at the view. "You're wasting time."

"Coming..." Tokoyami murmured, following Aizawa to the back field of the school.

The field, at night, was large and ominous. There was barely any lighting aside from the large stadium-esque lights along the sides of the field, which were currently switched off. Those were the lights he needed to test his Quirk's strength. Aizawa led him to the same spot where they had taken the Quirk Assessment Test just three weeks prior.

"Alright, I'm aware of your Quirk's powers, but I want to know what you want out of this session," Aizawa explained calmly, looking at the student through the bandages with interested eyes.

"My main goal is to build my Quirk's tolerance to light. In bright lights, my Dark Shadow becomes timid and weak. His attack power plummets and it's a weakness that I want to try and strengthen." He pointed towards the large stadium lights. "With those lights turned on, it would simulate a bright light that would allow me to train under harsh conditions. That's what I want to do."

"Fighting in that state. It is simple for you but exhausting for your Quirk, which could have a draining effect on your own energy levels," Aizawa said, pointing at him. "Are you sure you're ready for that level of exhaustion?"

Tokoyami smirked, "I came here tonight, didn't I?" No matter what the outcome of the practice session, he had made the initiative to do this. He knew he was ready for it.

"Alright," Aizawa conceded, holding up a small remote. "I'd recommend standing in the center of the field. As your teacher, I'll supervise this Quirk Strengthening training and ensure you don't overdo it."

A short change into his training gear later and Tokoyami was ready to do some fighting. But that wasn't the plan at first. Aizawa pointed him towards the field before stating, "We'll start by letting your Quirk adjust to the light levels and see what we're working with."

Tokoyami summoned Dark Shadow, who he had been repressing until that instant, the dark Quirk bursting out with surprising ferocity. Of course it would be tougher to contain his Quirk, it was pitch black, but he was determined and his resolve made sure that his emotions stayed in check along with his focus.

And then the first light flashed on, his Quirk hissing in disgust. Then the next light came on, causing Dark Shadow to flinch backwards, lost for words. A few moments later and six large stadium lights were bearing down on Tokoyami and his Quirk with a ferocious intensity. It took a moment for his Quirk's feeling to reach his own body, but when it hit, he felt himself sag forwards slightly in surprise, his muscles trembling slightly.

He hadn't expected the effect to be this powerful on his own body. He made a mental note to remember to try separating himself form his Quirk's feelings at some point. As for Dark Shadow, it now darted around at the lights fearfully, making low growling noises before turning to look at Tokoyami with betrayed eyes. Sure, it had known he was planning on training but Dark Shadow had not known that the training was for him specifically.

"Alright, focus on your Quirk. Allow yourself a moment to catch your breath," Aizawa stated, ten paces away. "Am I right in assuming you're feeling your Quirk's fatigue?"

Tokoyami nodded, brushing a bead of sweat that had formed on his forehead, ruffling his feathers in annoyance.

"Good. That shows the training's intensity. You need to overcome your Quirk's fatigue and use your own energy to enhance your Quirk's defenses, not the other way around," His teacher explained calmly, watching closely. "I'll give you a few minutes to try this without motivation. Then I will introduce a robot into the mix."

"Right," He muttered, trying to focus on his energy. In his mind, there were two different beings. Himself, with tons of energy to spare, and Dark Shadow who was sapping away at his own energy due to his weakness causing stress on his mind. He began to imagine a fine line between the two, trying to split the energy apart, but it was tough.

 _"Dark Shadow, you need to let me use my energy, not your own,"_ He explained in his head to his Quirk, who looked back at him with annoyance.

 _ **"It's not that easy, y'know,"**_ Dark Shadow replied, cutting off their mental link. It seemed his Quirk was not in a talking mood. Perhaps that was even for the best, it would allow them both to focus on their own tasks at hand.

"Alright, the first Robot is coming towards you," Aizawa noted, pointing towards a large green metallic robot, looking like a large green scorpion, which speedily stalked over to Tokoyami.

It raised it's tail-like appendage and swung forwards, Tokoyami willing Dark Shadow forwards in defense. His Quirk leaped towards the robot, slamming into the tail, catching it in a dead-lock. But moments later he felt his knees buckling and his Dark Shadow begin to crack slightly. Suddenly the tail slammed through his Dark Shadow, sending his Quirk back towards him. The force of the attack knocked the breath out of Tokoyami, causing him to stumble forwards, bending down to his knee.

"Are you alright?" Aizawa asked with as little concern as he could muster.

"Fine... I'm fine," Tokoyami coughed, pushing himself back up into a standing position. That was a lot stronger than he'd expected, but he wasn't going to go down without a fight again.

"You're going to suffer a lot if you don't separate your energy," The teacher drawled, pointing at his Dark Shadow, who was already looking rather bruised after just the one hit. "Try and imagine the energy as a concept. It doesn't matter what, just something that you can refer to."

"Like an image?" Tokoyami asked back.

"Exactly. Try to paint an image in your mind of your energies as separate wavelengths."

It was simple advice, but Tokoyami didn't have much else to go on and didn't want to keep being held back by his Quirk for the whole session. In his mind, he began to picture two strands of light. One was a piercing scarlet red, which he decided was his own energy. The other was as purple as the night sky, dark and murky, like his Quirk. That was Dark Shadow's energy.

"Now, try and grasp on to your own energy and move your Quirk into the background," Aizawa said quietly.

Focusing on the two strands, Tokoyami imagined himself reaching forwards towards the Scarlet beam. His hands trembled as he reached closer towards the energy, feeling resistance from his Quirk as he continued to push forwards. Just as he was about to reach the scarlet light, he felt his mental image being gripped by the darkness in his head, gnawing away at the sides of the picture.

This was Dark Shadow's attempt to keep himself in control. Using Tokoyami's energy meant that Dark Shadow would be under his complete control, something his sentient Quirk clearly took offense to. But he couldn't afford to let himself get held back anymore. Slamming his mental hand forwards, he pushed through the darkness and gripped the scarlet light with an intensity that was only matched by the adrenaline that began to pump through his veins.

"Do you feel it?" His teacher asked, observing the boy who was already looking stronger than before. "That power, that feeling, do not forget it. You will need to summon it as easily as you summon your Quirk."

"Right," He muttered, gritting his teeth, pursing his beak as he noticed the robot from before had decided to try swinging once again.

He sent Dark Shadow forwards in the same formation that he had previously, Dark Shadow latching on to the robot's tail with a large slam. That initial weariness though was no longer there. He felt ready to fight and pumped up, as opposed to the tired slouch that Dark Shadow had caused before. This time, it was his attack that won the bout, Dark Shadow latching deeply onto the tail of the robot before a loud crunch echoed across the field.

The small explosion of metal where the robot's tail-piece used to be was surprising, both for Tokoyami and the robot, which took the opportunity of Tokoyami's surprise to take a swing at him with it's arm. Dark Shadow released itself from the crushed tail, already speeding it's way to Tokoyami's side to block the side attack. He felt the impact, feeling himself slide back a few paces, a dull throbbing pain making itself known on his left side. But it was nothing compared to what should have happened.

Dark Shadow was still standing strong and the robot was trying to step back, potentially trying to scan it's target. Tokoyami couldn't let that happen.

"Dark Shadow, disable the robot," He hissed, launching forwards, his shadow slicing towards the robot with terrifying accuracy. Before the robot could comprehend the threat, Dark Shadow had plunged itself right through the centre of the machine, cutting into the very core of the mechanical creature. Another moment later and a small whirring beep sounded, signalling that the robot had shut itself down.

"That was good," Aizawa said from behind. "But that was one foe. And we are far from done here. Are you ready to continue training?"

Tokoyami turned, grinning at the new power he could feel. "Yes Sir."

* * *

 **A/N - Aizawa really is a great teacher. He knows what he's talking about and I wanted to definitely showcase his abilities as a mentor here with Tokoyami. I think they both compliment each other's personality very well as neither of them want any nonsense. They just want to get straight to the point.**

 **Although the rather unstable relationship with Tokoyami's family is important as well. His mother never wanted him to go to U.A. in the first place and after USJ, it's totally understandable that she'd be quite high-strung. I want to emphasize just how much Tokoyami and his parents don't gel well.**

 **People always say you should be lucky for your parents, but I think it's so dependent on the scenario and environment. Tokoyami is effectively a caged creature who's on his last defense after his mother threatened to transfer him. And I don't see their relationship getting any better.**

 **Anyway, next chapter, Tokoyami heads home but you know, it's 4am and training leaves him a little exhausted!**


	23. Shower Thoughts! Collapsed!

**Chapter 23 - Shower Thoughts! Collapsed!**

"That's enough for tonight," The calm voice of Aizawa stated, penetrating Tokoyami's train of thought as he slashed his Dark Shadow into yet another pair of training robots.

Tokoyami breathed in deeply, brushing off the sweat from his feathers as he felt his Quirk retract back inside of him for the time being, swaying slightly as he knelt down towards the ground to steady himself. His breathing felt labored and his mouth was dry. It was one thing to train for two hours normally, it was another to train for two hours in the dead of night when he hadn't slept in days.

Clenching his fists, feeling beads of sweat dripping from his face to the floor below, he felt more accomplished than he had since getting into U.A. Despite being utterly exhausted, that training session was just what he needed to get his motivation going.

Gazing up into the night sky, he could see all of the stars twinkling in the distance, the moon high in the sky, looking down on him. The field was bathed in moonlight as he noticed the large stadium lights switching off one by one, darkness returning to the field after the rough two hours.

"Are you alright? You certainly pushed yourself," Aizawa stated, walking over to his student, who was still kneeling on the ground. "You should get some rest tomorrow. I can't say I didn't enjoy watching you train."

"Thank you for the help, Teacher," Tokoyami replied, pushing himself shakily up from the ground, feeling himself sway slightly to the left before he caught his balance. "With this training, I think I have a better understanding of my Quirk."

"Good," Aizawa replied, turning away from the boy towards the school. "I'll unlock the changing room for you to shower and change into your civilian clothing. You smell awful."

Tokoyami gratefully took his teacher up on that offer, heading into the school building without so much as a second thought. "And be at the gate in twenty minutes. I'll let you out then." Giving his teacher a weary thumbs up, he made his way over to the school's shower and changing rooms, glad to get a chance to wash off the sweat and dirt that had built up from the many times he'd been thrashed by the robots.

He quickly stripped off his gear and stepped into one of the shower stalls, feeling the biting cold air wrap around him as he twisted the tap and switched on the shower. He felt the water pour out, cold for the first few moments, causing him to shiver slightly, before beginning to warm up slightly.

Wiping away some of the dirt on his arms and legs, he felt himself beginning to calm down, coming off of the high that his adrenaline had left him on. And now he was starting to feel small pinpricks of fatigue throughout his body. A slight pain in his muscle on his shoulder, a small graze on his leg that stung slightly.

Letting the water wash over him, he allowed himself a few moments to just stand there, letting the hot water splash across his feathers, washing away the sweat and grime that had been building there.

He hadn't worked out that hard in a long time and it took him a moment to realize just how much he missed that feeling of pushing himself to his limits. Ever since his old teacher had stopped tutoring him, he'd admittedly taken it easy on his physical exercise and he knew he wasn't in peak fighting condition. But there was just so much going on and being bed-ridden after the U.A. Entrance Exams certainly hadn't helped his body at all.

He really needed to get back into working out more...

Stepping out of the shower a few minutes later, he felt himself tense up from the cold air rushing to hit his warm skin, waking up his senses for the time being. He felt tired, that much was evident in his face alone. But keeping himself awake for the walk home would be a chore in itself. And actually dealing with his parents, assuming they'd checked his room, was something he didn't want to deal with.

"I don't even want to go home," He muttered into his towel as he attempted to dry off his feathered face before giving up after a minute. His feathers were stubborn and the wind would dry them. He dried the rest of his body off and slipped on some of his comfortable casual clothes that he'd worn on the way to the school, glad to be feeling a little more refreshed after the intensity he'd been through.

Collecting all of his stuff, he practically tossed everything into his rucksack so he could head out. Getting home before day break was the real challenge.

When he emerged from the school building and strolled down towards the gate, his eyes drifted to his phone that he was holding, giant numbers spelling 2:30 am on the screen. He figured as much. He'd be home by 5 at the latest and would hopefully be able to get some sleep before dealing with the hassle that was his parents.

Aizawa stood by the gate, glancing at him as the boy passed through. "Good night, Sir," Tokoyami said, turning back to his teacher. "Thank you for your help."

"I'd avoid the town, Tokoyami," His teacher drawled. "Apparently a villain attack's blocked off the roads. If you want to make it home before your family wakes up, I'd take a detour."

Tokoyami's eyes widened in surprise. "How did yo-"

"We keep profiles on students and their families," Aizawa explained. "Your parents don't seem like the types who would let their son out easily during the night. So rationally I deduced that you had slipped away without them knowing."

"That is correct..." Tokoyami admitted, feeling himself burning up from the shame of being caught.

"It's good that you came though. You needed that training." Aizawa turned to head back to the school. Did he live there or something? "Make sure to pace yourself heading home. You don't want to run out of energy during your walk."

And with that, the gates of U.A. slid shut with a silent click, leaving Tokoyami standing outside without any idea on what to say next. But nothing needed to be said. Aizawa had already left and he needed to get going as well. So with a small sigh, he turned to his right and began to walk in the direction of his usual route home. If the city roads were shut, he'd have no choice but to go along the outer path of the town.

But just two roads away from U.A. he felt himself feel just a little bit shaky. He imagined that the aftereffects of his training would slowly begin to catch up to him and he'd rather be back in his house when they hit him full force. Adrenaline could only go so far.

* * *

It had been forty-five minutes since he had left the U.A. grounds and his decision to take the outer road was, for the most part, paying off. He'd initially glanced down towards the town road, noticing police barriers had been placed up around where he assumed a villain had attacked, which meant there was no way he'd be getting through there.

He had no intentions of going that way in the first place, but he did hold some hesitations about the road he was currently on. It skirted around the outskirts of the city, far away from the police or pretty much anyone. In that sense, it was actually quite dangerous late at night as there were less people to see you if something happened to you while you walked.

And Tokoyami did not need that stress right now. He needed sleep and to get home.

But he couldn't have accounted for the slow seeping weakness that his body was feeling. It felt like every twenty paces or so, his body would jolt and he'd feel more and more heavy. He knew he'd overworked himself when he found himself stopping to sit on a bench for a few moments, catching his breath. It didn't help that a cold wind had been blowing and the feathers on his face were still wet from his shower.

It caused him to shiver intensely as he scrolled through his phone, trying to get his strength back.

He was close to the crossing where he normally met up with Shouji in the mornings, but that was roughly forty minutes away. Close, but close relative to U.A. which was over forty-five minutes away. And that was on a good day. With his speed slowing down until he decided to sit here on the bench, he was looking at a much longer journey than he wished.

"Damnit," He grumbled, wishing he could be underneath that warm shower at U.A. or at home in bed or even training on the field. Anything but this feeble attempt to get through the darkness.

He hadn't received any calls from his parents yet. There was a chance they hadn't gone into his room then or even seen the note. But the idea of them making him get up early on the Sunday was something he was not looking forward to.

The wind picked up, brushing up against his facial feathers, causing them to bristle at the contact. And then he felt himself sneeze as well.

Brushing back his feathers, he suddenly felt a ding sound come from his hand. Looking down, he saw a small message on his phone. It was from Shouji. He was texting him?

 **Shouji - Hey, I'm just messaging you to see if you made it back from your Training Session with Aizawa okay. I heard about the villain attack in town and thought it was best to check.**

Tokoyami couldn't help but let out a small chuckle before pushing himself up. There were no cars coming down the road, nor people who were walking at night, so text-walking wouldn't be too terribly risky, he imagined.

 **Tokoyami - I'm fine. I've had to take our normal route to avoid the commotion.**

 **Shouji - Good. The last thing any of us would want is you turning up injured or hurt.**

For whatever reason, that last message made Tokoyami feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Perhaps it was the craving for warmth right now or the fact that he had something to occupy his weary body with, but talking with Shouji really was helping.

 **Tokoyami - So why are you up anyway? You were offline earlier.**

 **Shouji - Couldn't sleep...**

 **Tokoyami - Really? That's all I get? I'm wounded Shouji, absolutely wounded.**

He wasn't even aware of the shaking in his legs as he typed, so engrossed with his conversation. But one step forwards and suddenly he felt himself slip forwards, slamming into the ground with a thud. His chin hurt, getting the most of the impact and he could feel a small bit of blood dripping from where he'd cut himself Just great.

 **Shouji - I don't mean to be like that. I just... Couldn't sleep. I don't have much of a reason.**

Well, he was on the ground now, may as well reply before getting up.

 **Tokoyami - As long as you're alright, Shouji. I would not wish for you to be feeling negative.**

He pushed forwards, picking himself up and brushing off his clothes. He needed to keep moving, but he didn't notice the sudden flash as his vision blurred for a moment from fatigue. One moment he was walking along the pavement, the next he's trying to steady himself as he placed his hand on the trunk of a tree and held himself there for a moment.

 **Shouji - You shouldn't worry about me Tokoyami. I'd rather worry about you getting home safely.**

He wanted to re-assure his friend that everything would be alright. A quick text so that Shouji would stop being worried.

 **Tokoyami - Don't worry, I'm fi-affgs**

Before he knew what was happening, his head suddenly flared up, whatever fatigue he had been feeling from training slamming into him like a fire truck. Combined with the cold winds and his overall appearance, he felt himself stumble forwards, clicking send before he'd even finished his words. Only this time when he hit the ground he didn't get back up.

He lay there sprawled out across the ground, breathing heavy from over-exertion. How was this realistic? This fatigue was unbearable. And he could barely move a muscle. "D...Dark S..Shadow," He stuttered, trying to summon his Quirk. But the thing about training... His Quirk needed it's rest and would not summon.

He lay there for a long time by the side of the road in pitch darkness, every now and then feeling his phone vibrate, probably Shouji trying to contact him. But by the time it buzzed for fourth time, he was long gone. He felt himself sliding into darkness, letting the ache in his muscles finally catch up to him.

* * *

Shouji lay in his simple fold out bed, staring up at the ceiling of his small white walled bedroom. He was alone in his empty house while his parents were away on yet another vacation to god knows where. Whatever the case, they weren't coming back for at least a week, having sent him some money through their bank account that very day.

And here he sat, no parents home, wondering why he couldn't sleep. Well... Wondering wasn't the correct word for it.

He knew why he couldn't sleep, and that why was Fumikage Tokoyami.

His friend had mentioned earlier in the day that he was taking a midnight lesson with Aizawa and that he'd be out in the dead of night. It was worrying to say the least, knowing how often Villains preferred to attack during the night hours. On top of that, he was one of the few people who knew that Tokoyami's sleep schedule was completely out of whack thanks to his nightmares.

He wasn't sure why, but he just got a bad feeling from the whole situation.

Glancing at his phone, he noticed the time was around 3:15 am. Quite late. Luckily it was a Sunday so they wouldn't be in school later that morning, but still, he knew he really should sleep.

Maybe one quick message to Tokoyami would help ease his worries though. Unlike Tokoyami's mother though, Shouji knew the boy could handle himself and had more faith in Tokoyami's abilities. But he'd be concerned for any of his friends wandering the streets late at night, especially after the villain attack in the main city that had apparently happened.

He flipped out his phone, texting a simple message asking Tokoyami if he was okay.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he got a reply. Tokoyami was taking their route home and was safe from the villain attack. That was good. He didn't know why but he needed to make sure Tokoyami knew how much his safety meant and felt himself blush slightly as he sent the message. He wasn't used to the more emotional side of friendships yet. And neither was Tokoyami, he admitted to himself, thinking about the boy.

And then Tokoyami sent him a message asking why he was still up. He gave a blunt reply that seemed to annoy his friend, who began to act silly and facetious about it.

Tokoyami couldn't have realized just how badly that made Shouji feel. He didn't really have a reason but now he just felt bad for saying so little when his friend had nightmares almost on the daily. He needed to rectify this. But it was Tokoyami's reply that made him feel on top of the world.

 **Tokoyami - As long as you're alright, Shouji. I would not wish for you to be feeling negative.**

He was actually quite flattered by the compliment and the friendship that was behind it. Tokoyami wasn't much of a talker, but the fact that he was trying to keep Shouji's emotions in consideration was just sweet on all accounts. But he wasn't the focus here. Tokoyami was the one walking home at three in the morning. Sending a quick message of encouragement, he reminded Tokoyami that he should get home.

And then the next message sent.

 **Tokoyami - Don't worry, I'm fi-affgs**

A spelling mistake and a send? He gave it a few moments, expecting a follow-up message apologizing for the mistake or saying that he pressed send early or something. But for whatever reason that message wouldn't come. And now Shouji was concerned again.

 **Shouji - Tokoyami? Are you alright?**

No reply.

 **Shouji - Hey? Are you there? Tokoyami?**

Still no reply.

 **Shouji - Fumikage?**

They had never said to each other to use their first names, but if Tokoyami didn't reply to that then something was seriously wrong. And when no reply came, Shouji had already made up his mind. Standing up, he grabbed his coat, jeans and vest, slipping them on quickly. He wasn't sure whether this was needed or not, but if there was a chance that Tokoyami was in trouble, he wasn't about to wait at home to hear about it in the news.

He rushed out of his house, heading to the crossroad first. He was only five minutes away, while Tokoyami's house was around twenty minutes from the crossroads. He wouldn't have gotten that far just yet. So his eyes turned to their usual route. At the crossroad, he turned, wiping away any fatigue that he might be feeling.

Tokoyami would be out there somewhere and he needed to make sure his friend was safe, even if it turned into him escorting Tokoyami home. He'd do it. He'd do a lot for his friend, he realized.

His extra arms had already formed extra eyes and ears to help keep an eye out for his friend, glancing around the corners of roads until he reached the proper outskirts. Trees lined the road and there were few houses and even fewer cars. It was quiet, very quiet.

He wandered down that road for a good ten minutes, thinking that maybe he'd come out for nothing. Maybe he'd just made a mistake and Tokoyami was really okay or even already home. But as he approached a small bench near a set of trees, all of that went out of the window.

"Oh my god, Tokoyami!" He called out, sprinting forwards towards a crumpled figure that was sprawled across the grass just a few paces in the treeline. It only took a moment for him to wrap his arms around the other, pulling him up from where he had been lain out on his stomach.

He heard his friend groan in pain, Tokoyami's eyes cracking open slightly as he looked up at Shouji with his red eyes, seemingly unfocused. Whatever he was seeing, he wasn't completely conscious.

"Fuck, Tokoyami," He muttered, feeling the pale cold arms of the other boy. Just how long had he been lying there.

And then Tokoyami coughed. It was a real throaty cough as well. And then he heard the boy mumbling, "Training" and "Shouji," quietly under his breath. His voice was hoarse. What the hell had happened to his body? This wasn't normal? He'd heard of Quirks causing their users problems but Tokoyami felt like he'd gone through the extreme.

"Hey, stay with me Toko," Shouji whispered, trying to keep his friend conscious as he felt his friend's forehead, or whatever feathers constituted the forehead. And that was when he realized. His feathers were wet and his head was burning up. "A fever?" He whispered, pulling the boy up from the ground, grabbing Tokoyami's phone and backpack as well. "Alright, Toko, we're closer to my place. Stay awake now."

The concern in Shouji's voice clearly resonated with the limp Tokoyami, who's eyes started to focus on the other boy holding him, whispering a rather surprised, "Shouji?"

"Hey Toko, don't worry, I've got you," Shouji whispered worryingly. He needed to get his friend into some place warm. He needed to get home. He had a heater in his living room that Tokoyami could use.

"I overdid it a bit..." Tokoyami mumbled under his breath, eyes closing as his head lulled onto Shouji's chest. The boy was out like a light after he said that, leaving Shouji to ponder just what the hell happened as he sprinted back in the direction of his home.

It took around fifteen minutes to get back to the crossroads at top speeds and after turning in the direction of his house, it only took a few minutes to get home. Using a spare arm to unlock his front door, he stepped into the small house that was his home, heading straight for the living room. They didn't have much but he had a few spare blankets and a heater.

If Tokoyami had a fever then he'd need some sort of medicine when he woke up, but for now Shouji just needed to make sure his friend was safe. He grabbed a pair of pillows and placed them carefully on one side of the sofa. With two of his other arms, he placed Tokoyami gently down, head resting on the pillow, a blanket already being wrapped around the boy. He flicked on the heater as well, giving Tokoyami some much needed heat for those cold arms and legs of his.

And then Shouji collapsed himself on the other side of the sofa at Tokoyami's feet, breathing a sigh of relief that he'd even managed to get his friend home safely. With Tokoyami safely there, he decided it would be best to stay up and keep watch to make sure nothing else happened that he couldn't predict. So Shouji settled in for the long haul, watching the rise and fall of Tokoyami's breathing chest intently, tensing up at every cough, until before he knew it, his own eyes had shut and his body betrayed him, falling into slumber.

* * *

 **A/N - Sick Tokoyami is sick and Shouji needs to take care of him. That being said, Tokoyami's Parents are still an unknown factor, but with a friend like Shouji, who needs em. I definitely wanted to show a lot more of Shouji's caring tender side here. He cares deeply for his friends and spent the night worrying exclusively about Tokoyami.**

 **Next chapter's gonna be a really fluffy one if I have anything to say about it. Also Tokoyami being carried by Shouji for any reason is just yes.**


	24. Shouji's Phone Call! Sofa Chat!

**Chapter 24 - Shouji's Phone Call! Sofa Chat!**

"Oh my god, Tokoyami!"

The voice that shot through his ears like a bullet was like a breath of fresh air. Whoever is was speaking sounded concerned and terrified. But why? Were they... worried about him? He was just lying on the ground though. It was nothing weird, just something everyone did. Right?

 _"What a weird dream,"_ He thought to himself, feeling something warm wrap around his surprisingly cold body. Was someone holding him?

His eyes glanced upwards, finding it hard to focus on whoever was carrying him. Their face was blurred and with the darkness around them it was hard to see.

"Fuck, Tokoyami," He heard the voice mutter.

So they knew him then? Who was it? Why was his head messing around with him this message. The last thing he knew he'd been texting with Shouji about his training and then the next thing he knew he'd fallen asleep. He'd made it home probably, so he was glad he'd be waking up in bed. His head was really hot though. He suddenly lurched forwards slightly, coughing with a rather hoarse voice.

That was new. He hadn't coughed in a long time. This dream was taking him through the ringer. This was what he got for not sleeping for two days.

"Hey, stay with me Toko," The voice whispered, fear in their tone. Whoever it was seemed absolutely terrified that Tokoyami was hurt. But it was a dream. This would all be over, he'd wake up and everything would be okay. "Alright Toko, we're closer to my place. Stay awake now."

That gentle voice mentioned staying awake. But he was asleep rig-

His eyes widened for a moment, everything suddenly clearing up. His head was burning, his body was aching, everything hurt but he could barely even register that when he was busy gluing his eyes to the person practically cradling him in their arms. A slow realization began to build as he realized what had happened. He'd collapsed and... "Shouji?"

"Hey Toko, don't worry, I've got you," Shouji whispered back panicked, and now he could hear the fear in his voice. Just how bad of a state was he in. Was Shouji okay? Was he okay? Why was Shouji even here? But it all came back to one simple point that he realized.

"I overdid it a bit..." He mumbled, horrified at the hoarseness of his own voice. It felt cracked. Something was seriously wrong. He hadn't had this bad of a reaction to training since he first learned to use his Quirk. He'd lost too much energy.

He felt his head lull into Shouji's warm chest, finding comfort in resting his head on Shouji, listening to his heartbeat as it slowly took him back into a realm of sleep. Only this time he felt his vision blurring into darkness, all feeling vanishing for just a short moment.

* * *

Shouji awoke with a start, his eyes darting left and right in surprise as he became acutely aware of just where he was. On his sofa in his living room, not in his bed. It took him a moment to wash away the tiredness in his eyes, glancing around the room until his gaze settled on the large bundle next to him on the sofa.

The steady rise and fall of breathing was a relieving sight. It seemed that Tokoyami was sleeping quite peacefully, bundled up in one of Shouji's blankets. His head was against the arm of the sofa, although his face looked agitated and sweaty.

"Right, the fever," He whispered, leaning over Tokoyami. He needed to check his temperature and fast. He placed his hand over the other boy's head to see that the heat from the night before was still there in full force. His friend was seriously sick.

He moved away from the sofa, quickly searching through the kitchen for some sort of towel or washcloth that he could use. He found one in his kitchen drawer, wetting it with some cold water before returning to the living room where Tokoyami was sleeping. He didn't know if this actually worked, but he'd seen it in movies and television before.

People would wet a washcloth and put the cloth on the sick person's forehead to cool them down. Hopefully it would work as intended and help cool Tokoyami's feathers for a little while, maybe even make his sleeping easier. The feathered boy certainly looked like he needed the comfort.

Placing the cloth on Tokoyami's forehead, he let it sink in before turning to the table. He'd left Tokoyami's phone there the night before and he could see it was lit up with messages. He was lucky that Tokoyami hadn't bothered to set a lock for the phone, sliding it open to see a lot of missed calls. Most of them were from Tokoyami's mother and there were his three texts from the night before that had never been checked.

As he held the phone in his hand, he suddenly felt it begin to vibrate in front of him and the icon on the screen changed to show a picture of Tokoyami's mother, with the words - "Mother" - appearing beneath the icon. It only took him a moment to decide that he was going to answer the call. He couldn't very well leave Tokoyami's parents with no clue as to their son's whereabouts.

Clicking the answer button, he lifted the phone to his ear and paced away from the sofa into the kitchen so he wouldn't accidentally wake Tokoyami up. And as the phone line got through, the first thing he heard was, "Fumikage! Where are you?! You leave in the middle of the night to go training after we forbid you and you don't come home! You should be asham-"

"Mrs. Tokoyami, it's me Shouji," He interrupted, stammering a bit from the sheer ferocity in her voice.

There was a small pause before she replied, "Mezou Shouji? Why are you...? Where is my son?"

"Asleep on my sofa," He admitted. And then he paused. Telling her about how he found Tokoyami the night before might just worry her further. He knew his friend and his parents didn't always get along so perhaps a white lie would be best. "After his training session last night, he came to my house since it was closer than his own."

"So you knew about his training session? Were you aware that we forbade him from leaving the house?" Tokoyami's mother sternly stated.

"I had no idea," Shouji replied. That much was true at least. He didn't realize Tokoyami had gone and snuck out the night before. That probably explained why he'd walked home instead of getting a lift from his parents. "I stayed up to message him when his session was over since I didn't know how he was getting home. Then I offered to let him stay here for the night so he wouldn't overdo it."

There was silence on the other end of the phone that left Shouji feeling a little disconcerted. Had Tokoyami's mother left the phone alone, what could she be thinking about on the other end? He had no way of knowing and he hoped he hadn't said anything too terrible.

"Mrs. Tokoyami?" He finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Thank you," She replied, sounding a little more relieved. "When we saw the note he left this morning, I was furious. I still am, I'm sure you can hear it in my voice," She bitterly chuckled. "My son made a decision last night to ignore his father and I, and he probably knows how furious we are."

"I'm sure he cares about you," Shouji replied. "He's just quite... withdrawn, I guess?"

"I bet he told you that we planned on transferring him out of U.A."

Shouji's eyes widened in shock at that. His breath caught in his throat for a moment, hearing those words. Transfer and U.A. should not be coming out of Tokoyami's mother's mouth. Had they threatened their son with something like that? Even if it was an empty threat, he knew how much Tokoyami cared about U.A. Even empty threats could prove dangerous if left to fester. "You what?"

He couldn't stop himself. The very thought of Tokoyami being forced to leave U.A. was something he didn't want to hear. There was no reason for him to be removed given his skills as a Hero. But the reply from Tokoyami's mother cut through his thoughts like a knife.

"I don't want my son to be a Hero, Shouji." He heard a sigh on the other side of the line. It seemed like he was about to get an earful from the woman and he wasn't sure about how comfortable he felt talking about his friend like this. "My son has had problems ever since he was a child. He never gelled with kids at Nursery because of his Quirk and his appearance. We were forced to isolate him from the world. An appearance and Quirk that would terrify children and adults... How could we let our son be a Hero if we knew there was a risk that people would reject him?"

Shouji shut his eyes for a moment. This story sounded uncomfortably familiar... Too familiar for his own good. He felt himself instinctively touch his face mask, looking downcast at what he knew was beneath the fabric. But he hadn't donned the mask to accept rejection, he'd donned his own mask to help protect people. And Tokoyami's own situation and Quirk rang true to that ideal.

"If there's a risk in people rejecting him, that means there's also a chance of people accepting him," He said back, his voice wavering. Her words had rung a little too true for his taste. "Stopping someone from doing what they love because of appearance of Quirk, it's not right. Tokoyami is a great friend of mine and one of the strongest members of our class. Nobody hates him and everyone accepts him at U.A."

"Shouji-"

"And you're telling me that you threatened him by telling him you'd take him away from the one place where he's apparently been universally accepted by his peers!" Shouji hissed down the phone, a deep power in his voice as he gripped Tokoyami's phone tightly. "No wonder he snuck out. You misjudged your son."

"How dare you tell me how to treat my son?" She replied angrily. "I do it because I care about him."

"If you care about him, you'll let him do whatever it takes to succeed at U.A." Shouji took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Shouting at his friend's mother certainly wasn't the best idea. "You will let him pursue his dream because he will become a powerful Hero and he will save lives."

And then he heard the sobbing. It seemed the emotions felt in the conversation were going both ways. Not only was he riled up but it seemed Tokoyami's mother was distraught as well. For a few minutes, all that could be heard were Mrs. Tokoyami's sobs across the phone and Shouji could feel a pit of guilt deep in his stomach beginning to well up.

Ultimately, he didn't feel right continuing the conversation's topic anymore, so instead his eyes glanced back to the living room where Tokoyami was resting, before he realized he'd forgotten something. He hadn't even told her about her son's health! "He's sick. I woke up this morning to find him in a feverish state, I forgot to tell you."

"What? My son is sick?" She replied, the sobbing dying down for a moment as her motherly instincts kicked into action. "Have you cooled him down yet? Given him medicine? Anything like that?"

"Aside from cooling down his head with a cloth to bring the temperature down, no. I don't want to move him though, he seems exhausted." The sudden change of tone and pace to the conversation was actually relieving for the tall boy. He was glad they could both at least work together on something to avoid the awkwardness behind their brief argument.

"So he's staying at your house for the day?" Tokoyami's mother asked. "Are your parents okay with this?"

"They're out of town. It'll be fine... But if he ends up staying the night again, I'll, uh, need his school uniform for school tomorrow morning." He had priorities, ensure that Tokoyami was comfortable and make sure he has anything and everything he needs or wants. The fever wouldn't stay forever and hopefully the bird would be fine by tomorrow. "Would I be able to come around and collect it later on?"

"Of course..." She replied quietly. "I-I'm going to go. When Fumikage wakes up, please ask him to call me. He may be sick but I am still his mother and he should make time for me."

Before Shouji could reply, he heard the hanging up sound of a phone and when his eyes glanced at the screen, all it said was 'Call Ended'.

Sighing in frustration, he leaned against the kitchen counter, wondering just how he'd ended up getting involved in this mess to begin with. He'd only gone out on a hunch that something had happened and now he had his best friend, semi-unconscious with a fever, on his sofa and a somewhat ticked off Mrs. Tokoyami to deal with. He imagined the chat with her when he went to collect Tokoyami's clothes would be a fun one.

He decided to walk back into the living room, wondering just what he would say to Mrs. Tokoyami, when his eyes met with a pair of scarlet red, fairly confused-looking eyes on his sofa.

"S-Shouji?" The voice of Tokoyami called out, more in surprise than anything else.

"Y-Yeah, hi Tokoyami," Shouji waved awkwardly, moving towards the sofa where his friend, now awake, was sitting up, the wash cloth still stuck to his head. "Glad to see you're awake."

Tokoyami just peered at him, his eyes darting around the whole living room before settling on his friend, who was sitting on the other edge of the sofa now. "Where am I?"

"My house," Shouji replied. "I found you passed out on the road last night."

Tokoyami stiffened up at that, looking extremely alarmed. "I passed out?" Tokoyami's gaze settled on a wall just a short ways away, staring off into space, Shouji now very concerned. This wasn't normal Tokoyami behavior. He seemed a lot more disconnected than normal. "Right... I fell over. And you found me?"

"Yeah. You were beyond exhausted," Shouji replied grimly. "I've never seen such a collapse before. What the hell did you learn in your training session?"

Tokoyami paused, resting his head on his arm for a moment, letting out a few coughs as he began to speak. The fever was still there then. "I learned to separate the energy between myself and Dark Shadow. I used up a lot of my energy to account for Dark Shadow's weakn-" And then he paused, slapping a hand to his mouth in surprise.

"Weaknesses?" Shouji replied, now intrigued. He leaned forwards, turning his head to look at his friend who looked extremely flustered. "Didn't know you had any."

"Damnit," Tokoyami muttered.

"Can't tell me or something?" Shouji asked. "I did save you from freezing to death, you may as well be honest with me here Tokoyami."

"Fine..." Tokoyami grumbled, pulling the cover back over him in annoyance. "Dark Shadow is.. Well... He's weak to light."

"Oh." That was really all Shouji could say. He saw it coming a mile away but it seemed like an important thing that Tokoyami was keeping hidden, so he kept his reaction down. "So you used your energy to compensate for Dark Shadow's lack of energy."

"Mhm, but I did not have much luck when it came to using that energy to get home. I overdid my training and it only caught up to me after I was about halfway home." Tokoyami looked down at his hands, as if annoyed at himself. "And then I collapsed like that. Some Hero I am..."

Shouji was reminded of Tokoyami's mother's words from before. "You are a great Hero Tokoyami!" Shouji blurted out, Tokoyami giving him a quizzical stare.

"If you say so, then I guess I am indeed," He replied with a chuckle. "But you still haven't explained to me why I'm wrapped in a large blanket and I have a cloth on my head."

Shouji raised a brow. "You're sick."

"Ah yes, that," Tokoyami muttered, as if only realizing at that moment how badly he felt. If he felt the pain, he wasn't showing it. His beak and feathers certainly didn't give away much emotion so all Shouji really had to look at was the body language and his eyes. And as he glanced at Tokoyami's eyes, he could see the pain they were in. The fever wasn't going away that morning, that was for sure.

"You're staying here today, get comfortable," Shouji ordered, looking at the other boy who reacted with relative surprise.

"I'm fine Shouji, really. Not tha-" And then he let out a sneeze, hanging his head low in embarrassment.

"What was that Tokoyami?"

"Nothing..." Tokoyami grumbled, looking at the other boy with an irritated look. "Oh right. Were you sassing my mother on the phone earlier?"

Shouji paused awkwardly, that guilt from his earlier conversation with Mrs. Tokoyami coming back in full force. Had he actually heard all of that, and if so, how much had he heard? "I mean, I wasn't- I didn-"

"You said that they misjudged me and that I'd one day become a powerful hero who can save lives," Tokoyami stated calmly, his voice now quiet and collected. "Right?"

"Y-Yes."

He expected Tokoyami to be annoyed that he was even talking with his mother again behind his back, but instead the bird cocked his head to the side and gave what he could only describe as a smile with his beak. "Thanks..."

Shouji was glad he was wearing the face mask. If not, he was sure Tokoyami would see the bright pink tinge on his cheeks. "N-No problem."

"I'm glad someone out there sees me as more than just a teen with a dream," The other boy said. "So, if I'm stuck here all day, is there anything here we can do?"

"Well first," Shouji started, placing something down in front of Tokoyami. A glass of water and a small pill. "Drink up. You want to be better for school tomorrow."

"You're trying to drug me?" Tokoyami joked, placing the pill in the water before sipping it down his throat. The pill would take about thirty minutes to start working and it would only make the fever less bearable. A painkiller that would make Tokoyami able to function. But he'd still be sick until he rested it out.

"I would never do something so unheroic," Shouji replied, almost offended by Tokoyami's off-handed remark as he went to switch on the family television. "I do have some movies we can watch though. Have a quiet day."

"Do you have anything in the horror genre?" Tokoyami asked.

Shouji held up a small box of DVDs that were apparently horror titles. Weird genre choice for a movie day, but who was he to complain. But first... "I need to pick up your school uniform first, actually. And you need to phone your mother."

Tokoyami's eyes widened in annoyance. "I have nothing to say to her. I refuse."

"You do and you won't refuse," Shouji grumbled, already dialing the number for Mrs. Tokoyami on his friend's phone. "Have fun," He stated tossing the phone to Tokoyami as he went to grab his shoes. "I'll be back in about thirty minutes."

The look of absolute betrayal on Tokoyami's face as Shouji left the building said it all really. Today was going to be interesting indeed.

* * *

 **A/N - Ah, I wanted to actually have Shouji and Mrs. Tokoyami talk in person in today's chapter but I thought having them chat twice in one chapter about a similar topic wouldn't be too fun. Tokoyami seems comfortable at least, although when we get his perspective on things, I'm sure it'll be fun.**

 **Next chapter I'm going to focus on Tokoyami's reactions to the events of this chapter, as well as his chat with his mother. Should be fun!**


	25. A Deal Made! Truth Revealed!

**Chapter 25 - A Deal Made! Truth Revealed!**

Tokoyami blinked his eyes open, head pounding, muscles aching and feeling like he'd just been in an accident. There was a dull throbbing pain that echoed in his head, causing him to crinkle his face into a frown. He had not had a headache like that in a long time, not since he was younger.

Glancing upwards, his eyes drifted towards the white ceiling, settling his gaze on a rather bland spot of faded paint to mull over his thoughts. He felt like he'd been put through the ringer and his whole body was aching with a pain that made moving a little difficult. His throat felt scratchy as well, he hadn't drank enough water during his training session with Aizawa then. He'd need to ask his parents for some extra water that morning.

Speaking of which, it was extremely bright but they hadn't woken him up.

 _"Wait, why is it so bright?"_ He thought. His room had black wallpaper and a dark ceiling. _"Where am I? The living room?"_

Craning his neck up, he was greeted with the second surprise of the day. He felt a slight trickle of water on his forehead, noticing for the first time since he'd woken up that for some reason he had a washcloth sitting there. That wasn't a good sign. And if the slight burning sensation on his forehead was anything to go by, he might just be sick.

He looked down at the brown cover that was wrapped around him. It looked like a standard blanket, nothing too special about it aside from it being insanely comfortable keeping him snuggled up on the dark black sofa he was strewn out on.

 _"Wait a minute. My sofa is green, why is this one black?"_

And then the penny dropped. Snapping his neck up, wincing in pain as he did so, catching the cloth on his head before it fell and keeping it there for comfort, he glanced around the room that he was in and finally put the pieces together. "Where am I?" He asked aloud, panic starting to grip him. He was in some stranger's house and sure they were looking after him if appearances were to be believed, but still...

He looked around, noticing a large heater sitting next to him, probably attempting to keep him warm from all the cold and sickness. It did give off a pleasant radiant warmth that felt quite nice on his feathers, but aside from that it was unimportant. A large television sat on the other wall with a dvd player underneath it. He could see many different dvd box sets lining the cabinet that the television sat on.

There was a small coffee table sitting between the sofa and the television where he could see what looked like a box of pills that were labelled as painkillers. Whoever had taken him to their home had spared no expense. His hands shifted around under the covers, now searching for his phone, before his head flashed back to the night before.

He suddenly remembered falling to the ground after missing a text from Shouji. He'd collapsed and knocked himself out from over-exerting himself while heading home at 3 in the morning. And with that memory came the guilt in his stomach, rising up like a tidal wave. His mother and father might not even be aware that he'd left the night before and if they knew, they'd be trying to find him right away. He'd be causing them more worry than he needed.

Suddenly, he heard the creak of floorboards and his eyes shot towards the source, a large doorway that led into what looked like a kitchen. There was nobody in the doorway but he thought he could make out a voice on the other side. "Mrs. Tokoyami?" He heard the voice say, too far away to distinguish who it was. But he heard the words loud and clear. Whoever was talking must not have thought he'd be able to hear. Or maybe they believed he was still asleep.

Stilling himself for a moment, he tried to focus on the voice, trying to get his brain to work with him for a moment so that he could figure out who the heck that was? It was on the tip of his tongue but it just wasn't coming to him. "No wonder he snuck out. You misjudged your son." His eyes widened at that. Whoever it was talking in the next room was going down hard on his mother. And then he heard, "You will let him pursue his dream because he will become a powerful Hero and he will save lives."

That familiar voice. _"No way, how'd we get to his house?"_ He thought, thinking back to the night before. There was no way... Somehow he'd gone from being sprawled out on the roadside to being on the sofa of Mezou Shouji. And that was when his mind flashed back. He remembered the feeling of arms around him, of laying his head across someone's chest.

That had to have been Shouji and he had to have been completely out of it if he was willing to literally sleep in Shouji's arms. He guessed he should be grateful. Nobody else would have been able to find him and he had to imagine what would have happened if he'd been found by someone who didn't know him. Would his parents be angry, would Aizawa be disappointed?

And that was when he heard footsteps, glancing towards the kitchen door where his suspicions were confirmed. Stepping through the doorway, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a white vest, was his best friend, Mezou Shouji. The six-armed man was looking at something in his palm, Tokoyami's phone, but as his glance shifted upwards to meet his eyes, his body froze and so did Tokoyami.

"S-Shouji?" Tokoyami called out, his voice sounding a little more hoarse than normal. It scratched in his throat as he spoke and he knew he'd be taking it easy regardless of what happened.

"Y-Yeah, hi Tokoyami," Shouji replied, waving towards Tokoyami, the boy trying to give Shouji a fed-up look. "Glad to see you're awake." He watched as Shouji took a seat on the sofa, deciding to look around the room for a bit before turning back to his best friend.

"Where am I?" He needed to be sure.

"My house," Shouji replied calmly. "I found you passed out on the road last night."

"I passed out?" He replied grimly, feeling himself tense up at that confirmation. _"So that wasn't a dream,"_ He thought to himself, remembering the feeling of Shouji scooping him up in his arms. It was awkward but it wasn't uncomfortable at all. It was more embarrassing if anything. The whole point of the Hero course was to build their independence and here he was being rescued by Shouji. It didn't sit well with him. "Right... I fell over. And you found me?"

"Yeah. You were beyond exhausted," His friend replied. "I've never seen such a collapse before. What the hell did you learn in your training session?"

Tokoyami hesitated for a moment, resting his head on his left arm. It only took him a moment to recall the training, although as he went to speak, he felt a few coughs erupt from his throat, making him grimace before he finally got the words out. "I learned to separate the energy between myself and Dark Shadow." He explained, watching Shouji's reaction, which was a mix of confusion and interest. "I used up a lot of my energy to account for Dark Shadow's weakn-"

Interrupting himself, he slammed his hand to his mouth, eyes widening in surprise. Had he really just let that slip so easily? Admittedly, he was sick so his mind wasn't as sharp as it normally was but he'd been keeping his weakness a secret every since he joined U.A.

"Weaknesses?" Shouji replied, looking straight at Tokoyami with a gaze that suggested he wasn't getting out of this conversation that easily. "Didn't know you had any."

All Tokoyami could reply with was, "Damnit." He was ticked off at himself for slipping up some crucial info.

"Can't tell me or something?" His friend asked, now leaning towards him slightly. "I did save you from freezing to death, you may as well be honest with me here Tokoyami." Shouji knew exactly what to say and just how to use his leverage. Tokoyami had to admit, Shouji had a way with words that could definitely help with negotiations and stuff to that effect. He just hated that it was being used on him.

"Fine..." He finally grumbled, pulling up the brown blanket over him in annoyance. If he had to reveal his weakness, he had the right to be as childish as he wanted. "Dark Shadow is..." He felt his Quirk stirring in the pit of his stomach, definitely listening in to the conversation. "Well... He's weak to light."

"Oh," He heard Shouji mutter.

 _"That's all the reaction I'm getting?"_ He thought to himself incredulously. That was a little underwhelming given not many people even knew about Tokoyami's weakness. That being said, if he could avoid bringing up how Dark Shadow can sometimes gain control, he'd use the light weakness as a white lie to keep that info from coming out.

"So you used your energy to compensate for Dark Shadow's lack of energy," Shouji stated, now understanding the situation.

"Mhm, but I did not have much luck when it came to using that energy to get home. I overdid my training and it only caught up to me after I was about halfway home." As he said this, his eyes slowly drifted down to his hands, feeling a sense of uselessness building up inside of him. The whole situation was just a big smack in the face. "And then I collapsed like that. Some Hero I am..."

"You are a great Hero Tokoyami!" He looked up, staring at Shouji with a mixture of surprise and bewilderment. That was some seriously blatant cheering up his friend was trying to do.

"If you say so, then I guess I am indeed," He chuckled, although deep down he wasn't so sure how he felt. But he knew it would be best to just leave the conversation where it was. He had other things to worry about.

The next few minutes went by in a flash. Tokoyami discovered that he was, well and truly, sick and that Shouji had decided to look after him for the day, not that he needed looking after or anything. He tried to fight back and explain that he was fine but a rather poorly timed sneeze and a slight pain in his muscles convinced him otherwise. And then he remembered something.

"Were you sassing my mother on the phone earlier?" He asked politely, watching as his friend completely froze up from those words.

"I mean, I wasn't- I didn-"

"You said that they misjudged me and that I'd one day become a powerful hero who can save lives," He replied, remembering the conversation he had woken up to overhear. "Right?"

"Y-Yes," Shouji finally admitted, looking away guiltily.

But really, Tokoyami wasn't upset. Not many people in the world would stand up for him, especially to his own parents. But at U.A. he felt like he really had friends that would have his back and Shouji was no exception. Leaning against the sofa, letting a rare smile grace his beak, he simply whispered, "Thanks..."

And though Shouji was sure he'd hidden it, Tokoyami could see a slight blush peeking out from behind the other boy's face mask. He imagined that Shouji wasn't used to compliments like that and he knew if it had been the other way around, he'd be mortified from the situation. "N-No problem."

After their little moment, Tokoyami was forced to make himself comfortable on Shouji's couch. Shouji had given him a painkiller to take which would help with the fever, as well as picking out a few DVDs for a movie day since being sick meant Tokoyami couldn't do normal things like train or work-out.

"I need to pick up your school uniform first, actually," Shouji explained after he'd picked out a few DVDs. It made sense, if Tokoyami was staying the night, he'd need his clothes for school the next day. "And you need to phone your mother."

 ** _"Oooooh, can't wait to see that phone call go down,"_** Dark Shadow laughed, causing Tokoyami to jump, widening his eyes in annoyance. "I have nothing to say to her. I refuse." The last thing he wanted to do was talk with his lovely mother who didn't want him to be a Hero in the first place. She'd totally rip his head off just for the stunt he pulled last night.

"You do and you won't refuse," Shouji grumbled to himself, clicking something on Tokoyami's phone. And then he tossed the fun towards Tokoyami, stating "Have fun, I'll be back in about thirty minutes." And as Shouji left the building, Tokoyami made sure to glare at the taller boy with a look of absolute betrayal.

He heard the door close and his eyes glanced to his phone, finally deciding it was time to face the music. He placed the phone to his ear and waited, feeling Dark Shadow listening in on the impending conversation, taking a lot of pleasure from the guilt that Tokoyami was feeling as he heard the phone pick up on the other side.

"Fumikage? Is that you?" His mother's voice rang through, shrill and loud. He was expecting her to be concerned but the rather forceful tone in her voice was the opposite of what he'd expected.

"Y-yes," He stammered out, giving a small cough at the end to try and punctuate his health.

There was silence for a few moments as he heard a sigh on the other end of the phone. "What are we going to do with you, Fumikage?"

He didn't even know how to reply. He was expecting her to shout at him or to scream at him, to tell him he was grounded or that he was leaving U.A. but somehow that one question felt more weighted and impactful than anything else at that point. "I don't know," He finally replied.

"I'm not happy with you Fumikage. You left the house after we forbid you from going to that lesson, you end up getting sick and having to stay the night at Shouji's house and all of this would have been avoided had you stayed at home." Her points made sense, he knew that, but...

"I took a risk," He replied quietly, leaning back on the sofa. "I made the choice to go out so I could better myself and further my training."

"You walked through town in the middle of the night at 15 years of age."

"I knew what I was doing," He growled.

"Okay, you knew what you were doing. Clearly, you don't need me around bothering you, right?" His mother stated, her voice beginning to rise again. He could hear it wobbling as she spoke.

"That's not what I sa-"

"I don't care, Fumikage. If you want to be independent and make your own choices then fine, but not under our roof."

At that, his eyes widened. Was she saying what he thought she was saying. "Mother, what are yo-"

"Move out. That's what I'm saying." His whole world seemed to freeze for a moment. Just what had happened between the night before and right now? This wasn't like her at all. His mother's whole deal was keeping him inside and safe, not letting him go out into the outside world.

"That's crazy! I can't just move out, I've got nowhere to go!" He angrily replied, worry coursing through him. His parents were insane. And his mother was losing it, she had to be.

"You should have thought about that before you snuck out last night," She stated angrily. "I was worried sick when we found your note this morning and you hadn't come home. I was absolutely terrified and you didn't even bother to let us know you were okay. I had to hear that you were sick from your friend!"

"And you have to worry about everything I do! You don't even support my dream and you're actively trying to prevent me from moving forwards! And Dad's never around long enough to even talk with! Neither of you make time to actually ask me what I want or what I've been up to!" He snapped, feeling a few tears forming in his eyes. He refused to let his mother know he was crying. He didn't need this.

"Well I don't want to have to come home one day to find my son in a body bag!" She cried out, Tokoyami left speechless at those few words.

She really did worry too much, but she cared about him after all.

"Every job has risks, Mother. I happened to pick a job that, yeah, is very dangerous. Indeed, I could end up meeting an early end if I choose to walk this path, but it's my choice to make. We all die eventually and if it's my fate to die saving someone's life, then I have a right to uphold that fate and meet it head on."

There was silence for a moment and all he could hear was muffled breathing on the other end. And then her reply was curt and quiet. All the fight had seemingly left her, but her words were still just as hard-hitting. "If that's your choice, fine. As your mother, I cannot support your decision, but I won't fight against you anymore. But by the end of the week, we want you to move out."

His blood ran cold and his face paled beneath his feathers. "You can't actually kick me out. I'm fifteen."

"I was working a job at your age, Fumikage."

"You weren't training to be a Hero," He replied, now frustrated. "Can we at least make a deal?"

"I'm listening."

"The Sports Festival. It's this week. If I can win the Sports Festival and prove my prowess as a Hero, you don't kick me out. If I lose, then fine, I'll go." The words were out of his mouth before he could even finish comprehending them, but it was too late to back-out when his mother replied.

"Okay, I'll accept those terms. We're teaching you the hard way what it means to be an adult Fumikag- Oh, it seems your friend just arrived. I'll talk with you tomorrow," His mother replied, hanging up the phone as she did so, leaving him tense and shaky.

He'd just made a deal with the devil. He had to win the Sports Festival or he'd be kicked out of his house. What the hell just happened? And how the heck was he supposed to explain this to his friends, who would all be trying to win the Festival just as much as he was.

Resting his head in his hands for a moment, he tried to calm himself down, but he'd done something irreversible.

* * *

"Can I have a word with you, Shouji?" The voice of Mr. Tokoyami called out as Mrs. Tokoyami handed Shouji his friend's school uniform, as well as some weird feather based cleaning products.

Shouji had arrived at the house in about fifteen minutes, noticing that Mrs. Tokoyami had just gotten off the phone as he'd arrived, probably after chatting with Tokoyami. She looked extremely upset and uncertain, like what she'd been saying was something she didn't exactly believe in. He had to feel for her as a parent, but as someone holding Tokoyami back, he understood where his friend was coming from.

"Of course," Shouji replied, glancing over at Tokoyami's father, a middle aged business man of sorts, who led the boy into the house's study. "What do you need?"

"My wife told me what you said on the phone this morning. About how we misjudged our son," He stated calmly, smiling as he spoke. But the atmosphere in the room felt like it could be cut like butter. "I'll admit, I am a little disconcerted."

"You told your son that you'd transfer him from the first school he's been to where he actually fits in," Shouji drawled.

"I see my son's sarcasm has rubbed off on you," The man replied with a chuckle. "You must understand, I do care for my son. I don't always have the time to speak with him but I do care. My wife is just concerned. She'd rather he become a business man like myself. Although Air

"I don't see why you'd hire someone for three years to teach your son how to use his Quirk if he wasn't planning on being a Hero initially," Shouji stated, shifting the topic slightly. It was something that had been bothering him. Did Tokoyami's mother even have a say in the Quirk training?

"Actually, I've always supported my son's career choice. My wife, she's an advocate for proper safety procedures at Hero Training Schools, but that really just means she dislikes the job. And I do want my son to succeed, but I had a second reason for hiring my son's tutor, a more important reason than Hero training." This piqued Shouji's interest. He had heard from Tokoyami that his parents, initially during the first week of U.A. had completely supported his training.

He imagined that USJ had really flung Tokoyami's mother into a spiral of worries and this was the result. They felt like very different people to the parents that Tokoyami had described in their first week.

"My son's Quirk is a mutation. A being all of it's own and when two beings share the same body, there tend to be... problems," Mr. Tokoyami explained, Shouji clearly interested. "Have you ever wondered why Tokoyami always has a dim light on in his room, regardless of time?"

"Not particularly. Is it important?"

"Why yes, it is. When he was younger, back when we still let him go to public school, some bullies locked him inside a closet. It was dark and he was scared, but something happened. His Quirk grew more powerful in the darkness and smashed open the closet door. The bullies that were standing on the other side were seriously injured and our son had no idea what had happened."

"You mean he used his Quirk accidentally?"

"No, that's not what I mean," Mr. Tokoyami frowned. "It was more like Dark Shadow took control of Tokoyami's body."

It was at this small piece of information that Shouji's eyes widened in surprise. "Dark Shadow possessed Tokoyami?"

"Yes. We hired a teacher to help him control his Quirk. I assume that means he hasn't told anybody about Dark Shadow having the possibility to take him over in dark spaces or at night?"

"No, he hasn't," Shouji replied, tensing up. He needed a moment, bringing up every time that Dark Shadow had been brought up in conversation. Every time Tokoyami had explained it's usefulness but never once had he mentioned that Dark Shadow could possess him. That was something he had no clue about. "I had no idea."

"My wife is just worried about him. He's had so many problems and she knows how dangerous Hero programmes can be," Mr. Tokoyami explained, giving the boy sitting before him a sigh. "I have faith that my son will break through to her. He has my support, even if I can't always talk to him."

"I'll let him know," Shouji replied, pushing himself up. He needed to get back to Tokoyami, they needed to have a serious chat.

* * *

 **A/N - I swear, Tokoyami's parents are weird. When I first wrote them in back in Chapter 4, I didn't plan for Tokoyami's mother to sort of fly off the deep end with concerns, but her style of parenting is actually very similar to mothers I've interacted with IRL, my own included, so I'm basing her actions off of actual scenarios.**

 **That being said, it's tough writing a parental figure who, as a parent, is so in the right, but as an obstacle for Tokoyami to overcome, is so in the way. Ultimately though, I needed to have that "Moving Out" threat as a way to give Tokoyami some extra stakes during the Sports Festival.**

 **The Sports Festival arc is literally dedicated to sorting out his parents and their arcs as well as his growth of Dark Shadow's powers, so you'll have to bear with the melodrama a little bit longer.**

 **Next Chapter - Shouji confronts Tokoyami about Dark Shadow's little possession problem, they have a movie day with a few friends and we get the last bits of light-heartedness before I time-skip to the Day of the Sports Festival!**


	26. Enough Dark Shadow! Movie Day!

**Chapter 26 - Enough Dark Shadow! Movie Day!**

When had the world grown so complicated? That was a question that was bobbing around through Tokoyami's mind as he reflected on the recent weeks. When he started attending U.A. for those first few days, it all seemed so calm and simple. His father was supportive of his dream and had even encouraged Tokoyami to pursue the Hero career and his mother had told him that it was his choice and that they would support him regardless.

So why was it that just almost a month later they had both retracted that support? He knew that the USJ incident from earlier in the week would go down as a massive turning point for U.A. High School and he had to imagine that many parents and perhaps even people all around the world felt like U.A. had broken their trust somewhat. The villains had caused an unrest that was even effecting his own parents and their feelings towards him. It made him feel sick to his stomach.

His mother was hiding her biased viewpoints behind a deal of independence and he wasn't stupid enough to see that she was trying to scare him out of the Heroic lifestyle. A strange bitterness welled up inside of him as he thought about his mother's actions. They had hired Airdriver to teach him for over three years after taking him out of Primary School education. They had taught him how to control his Quirk in a fight and how to survive, yet none of that seemed to matter now?

And that train of thought brought him to Dark Shadow himself. His Quirk was a sentient beast that was always trying to escape, yet he yearned for the simple days where they would be in sync and work together without causing so much mayhem and trouble behind the scenes. Dark Shadow was his companion and friend since Tokoyami could remember and the bond that they shared was real enough, or so he wanted to believe.

But after USJ and the rather graphic nightmares that his Quirk was causing, his doubts radiated through his head like bullets being fired at his psyche. He missed the moments where he and Dark Shadow could simply talk and relax. Where his Quirk would make a snarky remark or a joke, but now that he was old enough to comprehend the negatives to Dark Shadow's power, it was taking it's toll.

He couldn't rely on his Quirk forever. He'd need to find some other form of companionship that wouldn't ruin his head every five minutes. But he knew that if he wanted to progress as a Hero and truly become a stronger, more efficient and reliable fighter, he'd need to set aside his differences with his Quirk and simply accept the facts about their link.

Losing control was a very real fear of his. But he hadn't realized just how serious it was until he had people around him whom it could affect. His classmates, Midoriya, Kouda, Shouji, citizens and his family... It all suddenly seemed so much more real and that paralyzing fear would keep gripping him tightly until he ultimately either broke down or surpassed it.

U.A. was about breaking down the boundaries and rising to the occasion of each challenge. And if he wanted to continue down this path, he would need to rise to the occasion. But could he?

 **"I know you don't want to talk with me right now,"** Dark Shadow whispered, coiling out around Shouji's sofa like a snake. **"But you're too much in your own head."**

"And what would you know, Demon," Tokoyami spat out, cringing slightly at the loudness of Dark Shadow's voice in his head. It wasn't helping the headache.

 **"You're calling me Demon again? Are we really going back to basics Fumikage?"** His Quirk asked seriously. **"I get that when I'm a little over the top, I can be pretty awful, but you know I don't mean it, right?"**

"You don't mean to take control of my body," Tokoyami deadpanned, staring straight at the yellow pinpricks of his Quirk, which looked away for a moment, almost shamefully.

 **"It's not like I want to. I just can't control it."**

"Then _learn_. I had to."

There was silence. Tokoyami took in a deep breath, trying to ignore the other's presence as his Shadow sulked on the other side of the sofa. That conversation was getting them nowhere and they both knew it, although his point still stood. He was putting in the effort to control his Quirk and enhance it, and as a living being, Dark Shadow should have to learn and overcome obstacles as well.

Resting his head on the sofa cushion that Shouji had left for him, Tokoyami sighed deeply, his thoughts zipping back to the Sport's Festival. If he didn't perform, he was getting kicked out and if he wanted to do well, he'd need to continue training his Quirk at the school. He needed that extra training from Aizawa, that much was certain, but that also meant he'd be testing the limits of his stamina and as he had discovered the night prior, the limits of his willpower as well.

The key in the door and the silent creaking of wood alerted him to the return of his friend, Tokoyami glancing over the sofa to see Shouji walking in, Tokoyami's school uniform in one hand and a few cans of some carbonated drink in two of his others. "Drink it," He'd simply said as the taller boy settled on the sofa beside Tokoyami, handing him the cold can.

The sugar did a lot to kickstart his system as he sipped on the beverage, raising a brow as he noticed Shouji was staring at him intently. "You need something?" He asked casually, not expecting an answer.

"Actually... yes."

Tokoyami blinked. What on earth would Shouji need from him?

"I want to know why you haven't mentioned to anybody about your Quirk's ability to possess you."

Tokoyami froze, a chill running down his spine, his feathers ruffling uncomfortably under Shouji's sudden gaze. He could feel the scrutiny, the judgement coming from the taller boy and for a moment, Tokoyami considered running out of the house and bolting away just to avoid answering this question. He'd kept that secret from everyone for a reason and just a few minutes prior, he'd been agonizing over it.

So why did Shouji have to bring it up now?

The dark feathered boy looked away, staring down at his drink, furrowing his feathers in an attempt to hide from Shouji's questioning look.

"Tokoyami, I'm not mad." He felt a hand on his shoulder as he glanced up to see his friend leaning across the sofa in a comforting gesture. "I'm just concerned, that's all. It's a serious thing to hide."

The smaller boy sighed deeply, feeling Dark Shadow retreating into his body as he thought about what he wanted to say. It seemed that Dark Shadow had no intention of getting involved in this conversation, much to Fumikage's relief.

"It never came up as important," Tokoyami finally settled on, Shouji narrowing his eyes, staring at Tokoyami with a look that seemed to suggest, _'We both know that's not the truth.'_

"Tokoyami, please..."

"Why do you have to ask that now Shouji?" Tokoyami spluttered, clenching his fists. "Any other time and I might have the nerve to answer... Damnit..." His eyes were scrunched shut, his voice shaky and stressed.

And Shouji could tell, the concern that was everpresent now more prominent than ever as the taller boy rested another hand on Tokoyami's back, rubbing small circles to help calm the younger one down.

"I'm sorry," Shouji admitted, looking away from his friend. "I shouldn't have sprung that on you. Your father, he told me about what happened when you were a child and I was worried." The taller one gave a frustrated sigh himself before stating, "You don't need to explain yourself now. Just promise me that one day you'll tell me about it."

One day... Not today. Tokoyami could do that. Yeah, he could definitely do that. In his heart, he knew putting it off was a bad idea, but he just couldn't form the words to talk about his Quirk, not after everything else that had happened that morning.

"I promise," He quietly whispered, taking another sip of his sugary drink before allowing himself a moment to compose himself. "C-Can we watch a movie now please, I just..."

"Of course," Shouji said, hushing the crow with a thumbs up.

The rest of the morning was spent in blessed silence, the only noise coming from the rather horrifying movie that Tokoyami had picked out, some torture movie called Saw that apparently was a cult-classic. Shouji had never been one for horror movies or movies in general, but he had to admit that they were good for watching when you wanted to just switch your brain off for a bit, not to mention Tokoyami's explanations about how shoddy the traps were in the film had him chuckling a good bit.

It was around two in the afternoon when the doorbell caused Tokoyami to jump, Shouji going to answer it immediately.

And to his surprise, it seemed that Shouji had discussed Tokoyami's current plight on their group site for Midoriya, Uraraka and Kouda all walked in, all looking super concerned, especially Midoriya who looked downright apologetic.

"Had I not bailed last night, you wouldn't be sick like this," He'd explained glumly, giving Tokoyami a small gift of some chicken noodle soup that Izuku's mother had cooked up.

Uraraka had given him one of her famous lectures about how heroes are supposed to be careful about these sorts of things and how she wanted him to stay out of trouble, while Kouda had stuck to giving sympathetic looks while talking about how lucky Tokoyami was to have had Shouji find him the night before.

He had to admit, it was lucky indeed. He was grateful for the friends he had, truly.

Eventually, the day faded into evening and Shouji offered the group to stay for something to eat, which everyone accepted gratefully. Although they ended up having to order food as Shouji had barely anything in the kitchen, meaning a greasy pizza was all they were going to get.

As they each chatted about the upcoming Sports Festival and their training, Tokoyami found himself wanting to just leave the room. He was the only one unable to train because of his illness and on top of that, the stakes were too high for him to be missing practice.

"I have to do good," Midoriya had explained quietly while the others nattered on about something unimportant. "This sports festival is my way of showing the world that I'm here. I have to bring honor to All Might."

"That's a lot of pressure, Midoriya," Tokoyami muttered with concern.

"It's not that big of a deal," Midoriya nervously stammered, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "I just have to meet the expectations of the Number One Hero in the world."

"Yup, no pressure Midoriya," Tokoyami deadpanned.

It seemed that everyone had something desperate to prove in the arena. Midoriya had to prove to All Might that he was the right choice for his Quirk, Uraraka had explained that she wanted to win for her parents as she needed the money to help them live happily and Kouda had explained that he wanted to try and overcome his timidness by fighting.

Suddenly, getting chucked out of his own house seemed a lot more real than before as he realized he would be going up against people with motives as strong as his own.

"You seem tense," Shouji had stated when the others had finally left an hour later.

Tokoyami raised a brow at that, once again cursing whatever observational skills Shouji had over him.

"Please tell me there isn't another secret you're hiding," Shouji grumbled, clearly recognizing Tokoyami's expression as one of guilt and exhaustion. "You've been down ever since the others brought up the Sport's Festival."

"Ugh," Tokoyami grumbled. "Fine, I'll tell you. But nobody else can know about this, alright?"

Shouji nodded, sitting beside the feathered boy who was still wrapped in an assortment of blankets.

"My mother gave me an ultimatum," He finally stated, surprised at how easily the words came out. He was expecting it to be harder to say, but as he said it, he felt a small well of confidence swelling up inside him as he turned toward his best friend. "If I don't win the Sport's Festival, she'll kick me out of my house."

Shouji reacted instantly, eyes widening in shock. "What?"

Tokoyami shrugged his shoulders, his voice lowering to a resigned grumble. "It's as I stated. She doesn't want me to be a Hero. She wants me to stop this childish dream of mine and get a real job where I'm safe and secure." He was surprised by the bitterness in his own voice as he stated those words, such conviction in his tone.

It was at that moment that Shouji realized that Tokoyami truly did believe his mother was out to ruin his life. But he knew the truth. His father cared and his mother cared, but neither of them had been able to express that to Tokoyami.

"Toko..." He chose not to acknowledge the slight bristle of Tokoyami's feathers as he used that nickname. "I talked with your father today and... Well, he supports your goal. And your mother is just scared. I don't agree with her decision, but you have to see where she's coming from, right?"

"My father can't even take the time to say hello and he thinks he's supporting me," Tokoyami hissed, turning away from his friend to look at the floor. "My mother thinks I'm some massive liability who can't take care of himself."

Shouji tactfully decided not to mention that Tokoyami had allowed himself to pass out in the middle of the night while "taking care of himself". Although he had to admit, Tokoyami had a point.

Tokoyami's mother was a very worried parent. Someone who felt her child wasn't safe in the outside world. And yet her ultimatum she'd given Tokoyami made absolutely no sense in regards to her feelings. Why would she willingly agree to chuck her own child out on to the street when that was the very thing she feared for her son.

He couldn't speak for her, but he knew that this whole situation seemed off. When he'd been around Tokoyami's house, his mother had shown no interest in kicking Tokoyami out and his father had been adamant in wanting Shouji to understand Tokoyami's situation.

"I can't deny that," Shouji finally stated. "Your Quirk, it's drawbacks, it can be seen as a liability." As he looked at his friend, the pained look of sadness in Tokoyami's eyes almost caused him to lose his words, wanting nothing more than to just hug the boy and tell him everything would work out. God knows, the boy needed some positivity in his life. "But that's why you're learning, Toko."

There was a silence as Tokoyami turned to look at his friend, confusion and uncertainty etched onto his face, his red eyes clouded by confusion. "You're going to get better and control your Quirk. You're going to become an amazing Hero and be a capable person in your own right. And if they kick you out, you show them they were wrong, you figure something out and you prove them wrong."

"And if you need a place to stay, my family are more than happy to have you," He finished, not missing the sudden smile crossing Tokoyami's face.

"I don't deserve a friend like you, Shouji," The smaller boy admitted, voice trembling.

"You don't deserve to be sad all the time, Tokoyami," Shouji whispered back, placing his arms around the smaller boy comfortingly. It felt natural and nice as Tokoyami leaned his weight on the taller boy, although after a few minutes, the soft rise and fall of Tokoyami's now sleeping form meant that Shouji would be stuck sleeping on the sofa for another night in a row.

Oh well, he was with good company.

* * *

 **A/N - So, I wasn't planning on updating this story again until Season 3 of the anime came out (As I know once the anime starts releasing again, I'll get back my motivation to continue this fic) but I got the urge to finish off this short, yet fun, chapter last night. I'm kinda busy these days since I'm got a lot going on and I'm busy most evenings, hence why I stopped updating the story, and I won't guarantee that this update means I'm back, but I'd like to get a few more chapters up before Season 3 of the anime.**

 **Please feel free to leave a review or comment, but I ask that you don't ask when I'm next updating as I don't wish to make a promise I cannot keep. I was burned out on this fic once after 25 chapters in 1 month, but now I think I'm going to pace myself and try to get some more done.**

 **Next Chapter - Time Skip to the day of the Sport's Festival. The Class at UA prepares with some last minute training and Tokoyami confronts his parents before entering.**


	27. The Time Skip! UA Sport's Festival!

**Chapter 27 - The Time Skip! U.A. Sport's Festival Looming!**

For Tokoyami, the days leading up to the Sport's Festival were an absolute nightmare. On top of being threatened by his mother with the threat of being kicked out from his home should he continue his path as a Hero and not emerge victorious at the Sport's Festival, the illness that he had received after his rough training with Aizawa and is subsequent collapsing on the ground in the middle of the night had left him unable to train.

He had taken the executive decision of staying at Shouji's place for the remainder of the time between then and the Sport's Festival after not wanting to face his parents after the threat his mother had made. He didn't want to see the look of shame on his mother's face every time he walked through the house or the lack of concern that his father showed as he walked out of the door each morning.

Shouji had taken him in wholeheartedly, having decided that ensuring Tokoyami was fighting fit would be his top priority. Shouji knew that there was a high chance that Tokoyami's mother was just bluffing from her demeanor when he had visited the day Tokoyami got sick, yet it wasn't his place to spill the beans to Tokoyami. To the smaller male, this was his last chance to prove himself to those closest to him and Shouji wasn't going to ruin the motivation building up inside the small bird, instead offering all the support Tokoyami could ever want, like a best friend should.

During the evenings, while Shouji worked out his arms with some weights, Tokoyami would sit and meditate, something that he explained would help focus his power so that Dark Shadow would be more responsive. His stamina was his weakness, especially after his training session with Aizawa and if Tokoyami wanted to keep himself from collapsing again under the pressure of using his own energy, he would need to at least practice separating their energy wavelengths like Aizawa had taught.

It was different from battling as they weren't under any threat, but he found that over those evenings, Dark Shadow was surprisingly easy to tame. Perhaps it was Tokoyami's words the morning he'd discovered his Ultimatum or perhaps Dark Shadow was concerned for his host, but the pride that was unmistakably holding them back had vanished, melting away into nothingness.

Tokoyami only hoped that his mental fortitude and his focus would be enough to prepare him for using his Quirk during the day time at a constant pace. Given he would be going into the Festival at a slight disadvantage due to having just recovered from his illness, he'd need to rely on his Quirk more than ever to give himself the edge he needed to stay in the game.

And so the sun rose on the morning of the Sport's Festival and the pair of Tokoyami and Shouji left the latter's house as prepared as they could be. Although Shouji noted that the slight tremble from Tokoyami's form betrayed the bird-headed teen's anxieties.

"Just relax," Shouji had whispered as they arrived at the school gates, intending to head to their classroom to await their first instructions. Tokoyami wouldn't stop that slight tremble until Shouji had placed a hand on his shoulder though.

Neither of them decided to acknowledge that, though both of them had realized it.

The classroom was already packed when they arrived, Tokoyami noting that only Kaminari seemed to be absent while everyone else was already present in their student tracksuits, same as Tokoyami and Shouji.

Midoriya's face beamed as he waved the pair over, the excitable boy chattering on with Uraraka and Iida about the proceedings.

"Are you guys ready?" Midoriya asked as the pair arrived into the conversation, Shouji giving a solemn nod in reply.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Tokoyami replied, managing to hide the trembling in his voice quite well. It seemed that none of the others had picked up on it in the slightest, thank goodness.

"We'll be going against Class 1-B and the rest of the school," Uraraka grinned. "We've gotta show them that they're no match for us. We're Class 1-A for a reason!"

Her eyes were fiery and determined, more so than they had ever been previously. Tokoyami was aware that Uraraka was fired up and ready to go as she had a deep motivation driving her to compete in the Sport's Festival. He understood that feeling very well, that need to live up to your parent's expectations. Although from what he had gathered, Uraraka's parents were the sort who would be proud regardless of her placement.

At least one person would be spared the agony of embarrassment that day.

"Are you alright, Tokoyami? Do you require any medical assistance?" Iida whispered, although it came across as more of a shout, the bird headed boy glaring at Iida at his comment.

Tokoyami huffed. "I'm perfectly fine, Iida. As fine as anyone else in this room."

"My apologies, however as the Class Rep it is my duty to ensure that you are well enough to compete. You seem nervous."

"I said I'm _fine,"_ Tokoyami snapped, turning away from Iida with a frown etched across his face.

Midoriya and Uraraka gratefully didn't join in with Iida's concerns, both of them flashing sympathetic looks at Tokoyami, who couldn't help but sigh at the whole situation. He was fine, really he was. The nerves would go away during the actual Festival he was sure.

He was still grateful for Shouji's support though, the taller man keeping an arm on his shoulder at all times until they'd sat themselves down at their desks.

Minutes later, after Kaminari had practically sped through the door, panting as he collapsed onto his desk, the room fell silent as the bandaged form of Aizawa strode through the door, his dark black shaggy hair billowing through the pure white bandages as his bloodshot eyes surveyed the room intently.

For a moment, Tokoyami swore he felt Aizawa's gaze linger on him, though he didn't have time to dwell on it as Aizawa began to address the class.

"Today, as you all know, is our Annual Sport's Festival." Aizawa's gaze crossed the room once more, the tension palpable as everyone's breathing seemed to hitch in unison before Aizawa continued to speak. "Today, you will all have the chance to prove your worth as a Hero and show everyone that you are here. I need not remind you how important your performances need to be for those out there scouting."

Members of the class nodded thoughtfully, Momo especially attentive, as well as Shouji, who seemed to tense up as Aizawa continued his explanation.

"Remember that once the Festival is over, you will be receiving offers from Agencies for your Weekly Internship programme." Tokoyami froze at that. He'd completely forgotten that the internships were even a thing. They'd been told about this in class in passing, but realizing how everything seemed to connect to each other in this school was causing the nerves inside of him to bubble up once more.

"Logically, the best performing Heroes will receive the most offers. On top of that, you are also representing U.A. High as our pride and joy," Though the way he said joy was awfully dull, as if the word made the teacher want to wretch. "Class 1-A, I expect you all to pass the first challenge with ease. Though not all of you will make it to this afternoon's festivities with only sixteen available spots, I will not forgive any student who fails to complete one of the obstacles set before you."

Now the pressure was on for the whole class. Not only did everyone have their own reasons for needing to excel, but with Aizawa's urging, everyone needed to do well for his sake as well. To fail on the first challenge would be an embarrassment to their own teacher and that would be unforgivable, especially given Aizawa was known for expelling those who he deemed weak.

"Now then, be at the Stadium in an hour. Plus Ultra," Aizawa muttered finally, stepping away from his desk, though not before his eyes moved back to Tokoyami once more. "Tokoyami, outside, _now._ "

Fumikage froze, a great chill running down his spine. What the heck did Aizawa want from him now? And with everyone suddenly staring at him, he couldn't help but shrink slightly as he pushed himself out of the chair and walked out of the room faster than was normal, lest he let everyone see how much they were getting to him.

When he was outside, he noticed the bandaged teacher folding his arms, a serious stare coming from those bloodshot eyes.

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" He asked, trying to keep the tremor from his voice.

Aizawa continued to stare, a silence building until, "One of my associates told me that they saw Shouji out in the middle of the night of your training, carrying what looked to be an unconscious person who had the head of a black feathered bird. You didn't pace yourself."

Tokoyami looked away, feeling the red tinge of embarrassment through his feathers. Of course Aizawa would be aware that Tokoyami had collapsed, why wouldn't his teacher keep tabs on his student after a late night training session.

"I warned you that the training you did would cause immense strain upon your body, Tokoyami," The man drawled. "That recklessness could have gotten you hurt or killed had Shouji not been around to help you out."

"I-I'm aware, Sir," Tokoyami grimaced, his eyes squeezing shut from the guilt eating away at him.

"I am disappointed. I thought you better than that, Tokoyami."

The boy couldn't respond to that, simply looking to the floor ashamed, his feathers drooping, shoulders sagging.

"The only reason I am not punishing you is because it was my lack of judgement and rationality that caused this incident to take place. Do not allow it to happen again. At the very least, ensure that someone knows where you are, be it a parent or a friend, so that you're not caught in a similar situation again."

"Understood Sir," Tokoyami replied bitterly, wondering whether he could feel any worse about the situation.

Aizawa turned, looking towards the hallway window before turning away from Tokoyami, breathing out a loud sigh. "Surpass your limits, Tokoyami. Surpass them so that you never collapse as you did again. And as your teacher, I am advising you to loosen up. You look ready to faint again. I'll see you and the class at the Stadium."

As Aizawa walked off, Tokoyami couldn't help but watch his teacher with mixed emotions. On the one hand, he'd just been berated by Aizawa and he felt like he'd let his teacher, who had done so much to help him, down as a student. But there was certainly a challenge in the man's voice that suggested he try to surpass those limits that had been set.

He let out the breath he was holding in, pushing an arm against the hallway wall as he realized just how tense his body was during that conversation. Geez, Shouji was right. He seriously needed to mentally calm down before the Festival began or else he'd just fall flat on his face in the first few moments.

"Tokoyami, what happened?" Shouji had come out of the classroom first, moving rather swiftly as he shut the door behind him to stop any eavesdroppers, though Tokoyami was certain Ashido and the others had been listening through the small windows near the top of the hall that connected to their classroom. The class gossip wouldn't turn a blind eye when a student was called out.

Taking a few steps away towards the other side of the hallway in an attempt to keep the class from overhearing, he muttered, "Aizawa knew about you carrying me the other night after my training."

Shouji's eyes widened in surprise at that. "But I saw nobody on the way back from where I found you."

"You were a little pre-occupied," Tokoyami shrugged, letting out a sigh. "He's not happy with me."

"I can imagine," The silver-haired male said. "Are you still feeling well enough to focus on the Festival."

"Barely." Tokoyami couldn't be bothered lying to Shouji, not that the taller man would believe his lie had he tried it, but the familiar hand on his shoulder quelled his fears for now as he felt Dark Shadow beginning to stir after days of inactivity in the pit of his stomach. "Great..." He muttered. "Dark Shadow's awake."

"Let's just head to the Stadium," Mezou suggested, glancing back at the classroom door as the others all began to pour out into the hallway, some giving Tokoyami faint glances, though only Midoriya and Kouda stopped to greet the pair.

Kouda nervously looked at his friend before stuttering a quiet, "Are you alright Tokoyami?"

"Aizawa found out about the incident," He replied quietly, not wanting to say any more than that. Midoriya and Kouda both caught on pretty quickly, both looking extremely alarmed although Midoriya's eyes turned downcast as if those words had hurt him. Tokoyami put a stop to that before Izuku could blame himself any more than he already had been, "It's not your fault Midoriya," He stated quickly. "It was my fault alone to not inform anyone that I trained. You couldn't have known..."

"But I still should have come with you like I'd planned," Izuku muttered, clenching his fists in frustration.

"Dwelling on the past shouldn't be our focus on a day like this," Shouji reminded the group, gesturing to some of the others by the end of the hall, specifically Momo, Uraraka, Iida and Aoyama who had all stopped to look back at the four. "We should get moving and focus on putting on a good performance for everyone watching."

Ever the voice of reason, Tokoyami was grateful for Shouji's companionship over the last month. The boy was a pillar of strength for the group as they all let their minds focus on the reason why they were all there in the first place. To become Pro Heroes. Although for Tokoyami, that came with the sting of his parents and the reminder of the deal they had made.

And as his thoughts drifted to his mother, he felt Dark Shadow quietly bristle under the surface.

 _'Control yourself,'_ He thought to himself, summoning enough power to keep Dark Shadow's influence back for the moment. The last thing he needed was Dark Shadow going rogue and releasing all the energy he had focused up over the past few days.

"Tokoyami?" Shouji was staring at him as he spaced back into reality. "Glad to see you're back with us," The taller boy gladly said, although Tokoyami couldn't help but notice Shouji's furrowed brow of concern.

"Don't worry Shouji, I'm fine," He muttered quietly, looking away. A clear sign that he was lying.

Though Shouji could tell something was amiss, he didn't question it, instead silently shoving Tokoyami forwards a bit to get the rather spaced out bird-headed boy to walk. It would do neither of them any good to be late to the Festival, regardless of Tokoyami's worries.

Throughout the walk to the large stadium behind the school, Tokoyami was silent, trying to focus on the energy that he had stored up beneath the surface through his mental meditation. Shouji recognized the expression quickly enough, having watched Tokoyami meditating constantly over the past few days, the taller man instead letting them relax in the silence. Forced conversation would only ruin the mood, fragile as it was.

 _"You need to listen to me today,"_ Tokoyami thought quietly to the spirit inside of him, Dark Shadow coiling in the pits of his mind like a snake.

 **"What makes you think I won't?"** Dark Shadow hissed back, voice dripping with a passive aggression that Tokoyami wasn't in the mood for.

 _"USJ."_

Something akin to an exasperated sigh echoed through his mind. **"...Fine. Do what you want. But I am not responsible for the state you end up in at the end of the day."**

Tokoyami had to admit that his Quirk had quelled since the USJ incident, especially in regards to it's own guilt following their argument on Shouji's sofa, but the boy still didn't feel fully comfortable with Dark Shadow when he knew just how bad the Quirk could get. Flashes of that villain... Of Kouda's horrified face...

Tokoyami shuddered.

"We're here," Shouji stated, breaking the treasured silence as they entered the main door of the rather large stadium, heading straight for the private rooms where they were to wait until the event began.

And that was when he felt a vibration in his pocket.

"My phone," He muttered, picking it up to see the called, body freezing in place as he saw who it was. His mother. He hadn't had any contact with his parents since that phone call and here his mother was calling him moments before the tournament that would determine whether he got booted out of his house or not.

"You should answer it," Shouji muttered, stepping past Tokoyami to give him some space. "When you're done, I'll be in here." With that, Shouji made his exit, heading straight for the door to their class's waiting room, leaving the dark feathered boy in relative silence, aside from the vibrating phone.

Resigning himself to his fate, he clicked the receive call button and pressed the phone to his ear, starting the conversation with a loud, "Yes?" He couldn't hide the bitterness in his voice though as he felt himself shaking as he waited for a reply.

Then after a few moments, he heard the familiar voice of his mother on the other end of the phone. "Fumikage?" He couldn't read the tone of voice, but he knew it wasn't cheerful. "We haven't spoken since... Well, you know. I wanted to make sure you were alright."

The boy scoffed at that. She knew exactly how he was feeling. It was her fault that so much pressure rested on his shoulders. "How do you _think_ I am?" Yeah, he was definitely still upset.

He heard silence on the other end of the receiver until, "You chose this path, Fumikage. The path of a Hero is paved with obstacles, or so I'm told."

"That's the point of U.A. High's tutoring," He replied back coldly. "Surpass and go beyond, plus ultra."

"Well, consider this an obstacle. Your father and I will be watching from the television at home. Despite my... reservations and our deal, we will still be rooting for you." It was only then that he heard the slight crack of her voice. Was she crying?

"Mother...?"

"...Fumikage, I'm worried about you. Is that so hard to understand?" Her voice became desperate as she seemed to claw her words out, hoping one of them would ring true with the boy. "I don't want to see you hurt."

"And kicking me out is your way of showing that?" He retorted.

"It is my way of showing that actions have consequences. Some things cannot be taken back. What happens if you are seriously injured and cannot be healed?" He was surprised that she hadn't burst into tears at her words, the emotions flooding his mother's voice causing him to pause and reflect.

For a moment, he considered just going home.

But as he glanced towards the door where he could hear his friends chatting from beyond, his resolve tightened and he turned back to the phone, the shaking beginning to subside.

"Mother, I am winning today. I am going to show you that my friends and I can take care of ourselves, that we are not just helpless children, but Heroes of the future." The speech was cheesy, it was corny, but he had to admit that stating it out loud relieved some of the tension he'd been feeling. Even Dark Shadow seemed just a little bit happier in the recesses of his mind.

Fumikage's mother paused once more, before uttering out, "Good luck, Fumikage," before the telltale sound of the phone being hung up was heard.

He couldn't have known that his mother had spent the next few minutes crying quietly to her husband about how scared she was, nor the sense of pride that she felt at hearing the resolution in his words. All he knew was that the tournament was soon and he would need to prove that he was worthy of being a U.A. Hero.


	28. A Declaration of War! The Games Begin!

**Chapter 28 - A Declaration of War! The Games Begin!**

When Tokoyami entered the waiting room where the rest of classmates were standing, they each glanced up at him in turn, gazes filled with curiosity as it seemed everyone had picked up on Tokoyami having more of a motivation than he'd let on to compete in the tournament. Regardless, nobody stood up to question him about it, aside from the usual suspects, Kouda and Midoriya, the latter even stopping his conversation with Uraraka and Iida just to check on him.

"And you're sure you're alright?" Midoriya had asked once more, concern etched across his face as Tokoyami once again reassured his close friend that everything was going fine.

He only wished that Midoriya wasn't so perceptive, or that his face wasn't so innocent and pure, as it made it that much harder to keep the truth from All Might's successor.

"There is no need for concern, Midoriya, Kouda," He replied gruffly, somewhat glad that his expression was hard to read thanks to the feathers adorned across his face.

Kouda took the words at face value, the rocky-headed boy giving a small nod and a sheepish thumbs up before sidling off to talk to Satou, who was apparently handing out pre-festival cupcakes to anyone who asked. But once again, it seemed that Midoriya had other plans, Tokoyami noticing that Midoriya's determined gaze that he'd become used to seeing over the course of the last month was once again gracing them with it's presence.

"You're not telling me the whole truth," The boy hissed quietly, pacing towards a corner of the room where nobody else could hear, although this time Tokoyami was sure both of them knew that Shouji had begun listening in from his group halfway across the room.

"Do we have to do this now, Midoriya?" Tokoyami whispered back, the tense atmosphere between the duo threatening to suffocate him as he waited for the reply.

And of course, Midoriya wasn't waiting. "Yes, we're doing this now." Midoriya frowned. "You're my closest friend here Tokoyami, I'm not going to stop bothering you until you tell me what's going on."

Tokoyami couldn't help but reel back in slight surprise at the that comment, feeling his face heat up from embarrassment. He knew that he was close with Midoriya but he never knew that the boy regarded him in such high esteem.

"Surely you're closer with Uraraka and Iida?" He spluttered out, genuine shock in his voice.

Midoriya folded his arms, giving Tokoyami a very pained expression, the bird awkwardly looking away at the floor. "Do I really have to explain it? I'm meant to be questioning you here."

"Humour me," He retorted, leaning against the wall, arms crossed as he waited for Midoriya's response.

"Fine. I've known you for much longer than Iida or Uraraka because we talked so much for like six months before we even met face to face. On top of that, you were one of the few people who believed in me from the get-go and you've done nothing but support me since we got to U.A." Midoriya then leaned in closer. "Plus you and Shouji are the only people who know for sure about my Quirk. I could have lied to you last week but instead I told you the truth."

Putting it all out there like that, Tokoyami couldn't help but feel extremely embarrassed. Although really, Shouji and Midoriya had both claimed him to be their closest friend which was something he didn't think he even deserved from either of them.

"...Fine," He finally muttered, brushing a few of his feathers back as he glanced around either side of them to see if anyone other than Shouji had been listening in. Luckily it seemed it was all fine.

"Huh?" Midoriya looked confused for a moment, before realization dawned on him. "So you're going to tell me what's really going on then?"

"There's not much to tell, honestly, but I think you deserve the right to know... I-" He paused, wondering if he really wanted to tell Midoriya this. If he did, there was no telling how the boy would react, but he couldn't go back now, could he?

"Tsuku?"

Tokoyami froze at that, not expecting to hear that nickname uttered to him out loud. Midoriya had often called him by that nickname during their chats online and only then, as he heard Midoriya utter it in such a concerned tone, that Fumikage was certain of his decision to inform Midoriya.

"My parents..." He began, looking straight into Midoriya's green eyes as he said it. "If I don't win this Festival, they'll kick me out of my home."

There was a moment of silence, the idle chatter of their classmates fading away as the pair in the corner both stood in silence, one concerned about the reaction he was about to receive, the other too stunned to really react.

And then, in a Midoriya-esque move, the older boy placed a single hand on Tokoyami's shoulder reassuringly, silently conveying his thoughts to Tokoyami without even needing to speak. The understanding look in Midoriya's eyes was enough for Tokoyami to know that he'd been right to tell Midoriya this secret.

That was when the pair noticed that a certain six-armed student had walked up behind the pair, actively blocking them off from the rest of the room with his arm span. Shouji looked at the two students thoughtfully, although as Tokoyami noticed Shouji meeting eyes with Midoriya, it seemed like there was some unspoken conversation going on that he wasn't privy to.

"Today will be a tough day for us all," Shouji muttered quietly, breaking the silence as he turned to Tokoyami. "When you walked in, you seemed more confident than you had been back in the hallway. Did something change?"

"I simply told my mother the truth," He stated back. "We're not helpless children. We are Heroes of the future and we all have something to prove. I just ask that you don't let my motivations outweigh your own performances."

"If that's what you're worried about, you've got it all wrong," Midoriya grinned. "I won't hold back and you shouldn't either."

"Ditto," Shouji muttered. "I need to show my worth to those watching, but that doesn't mean that our goals are mutually exclusive. I don't need to win, I just need to prove myself."

"At this point, isn't that all we can do now?" Tokoyami whispered.

The other two nodded, determination seemingly flowing through the entire waiting room as the minutes began to count down. He was surprised to see that rather than go back to their previous groups, Midoriya and Shouji had started chatting among themselves. Sure, Shouji and Midoriya had often hung out before thanks to Tokoyami, but it was rare that the two would chat casually at such length.

Tokoyami tuned the pair out, allowing himself a moment of quiet to meditate, but he kept just enough of an awareness to note that Shouji and Midoriya definitely seemed to be hitting off the whole friendship thing at a rapid pace. He couldn't help but feel pretty happy that two of his closest friends were getting along.

 **"I like them,"** Dark Shadow whispered quietly, coming out of the depths of Tokoyami's mind, much to the bird's surprise.

 _"I thought you were sulking because I don't fully trust you,"_ Tokoyami thought back, snarky voice and all.

 **"Don't flatter yourself Fumikage. I'm not perfect, I know, but I'm at least trying to make amends."** For once, Tokoyami could actually here the sincerity in his Quirk's thoughts. Though he wasn't fully comfortable with Dark Shadow, that truthfulness behind his words certainly had the bird pausing for a moment.

 _"I know,"_ He thought back seriously. _"I don't know how I feel about you right now though."_

That much was definitely the case. Tokoyami and Dark Shadow had both been going back and forth on the scale of wanting to ignore and apologize to each other. He had to admit that it was tiring given his Quirk was literally a part of him and they'd been fighting near constantly. They were both still teenagers though and their emotions definitely ruled their actions, Tokoyami was willing to admit.

 **"How about I promise to talk with you tonight. You like that heart to heart mushy stuff,"** Dark Shadow teased playfully, the spirit taking a mental glance at the two other boys that were chatting nearby. **"Speaking of mushy stuff, I like them  
**

Deciding to ignore the first part of his comment, Tokoyami settled for tackling the more confusing side of his words, _"You like them?"_

 **"They're good for you. Shouji gives good hugs and he carries you everywhere, while Midoriya clearly cares about you and is super observant."**

 _"And you're pointing this out because...?"_ Honestly, Tokoyami was glad for the distraction, even if Dark Shadow's motives were unclear.

 **"No reason, just thought you'd like that I'm _interested_ in them..." **The emphasis on interested certainly caused Tokoyami to stop thinking for a moment, his mind wondering just what the hell Dark Shadow even meant, but before he could ponder his Quirk any further, he was brought out of his thoughts by a loud voice.

Iida was standing by the door to the waiting room, calling outwards towards the class with the loudest voice he could muster. "Everyone, it is time to head out onto the Stadium. Let us show everyone watching that we are an honourable and diligent group."

"Class 1-A, wooo!" Mina called out excitedly, Hagakure and Momo joining in.

"Well, it's time," Midoriya muttered, looking between Shouji and Tokoyami with a nervous grin.

"Indeed, the time of reckoning is upon us," He muttered, holding back the nerves as he took his first step towards the door, feeling Midoriya's hand still resting on his right shoulder, noticing Shouji's hand on his left.

He could do this.

It was at that moment when a voice that nobody had expected to hear called out towards his trio.

"Midoriya."

Everyone in the waiting room turned, Todoroki striding forwards towards Midoriya, who moved his hand from Tokoyami's shoulder to look up at the boy with a nervous glare. "T-Todoroki? Do you need something?"

The intense stare of Todoroki didn't match the calmness of his voice, but his words caused everyone in class to freeze in place. "Looking at things objectively, I think I'm stronger than you."

Midoriya couldn't help but meekly nod at that. "Y-Yeah..."

That was when Todoroki's voice became sterner, when everyone realized that those cold eyes weren't just intimidating Midoriya, but sizing him up as a competitor. "But... All Might has his eye on you, doesn't he?"

Tokoyami couldn't help but tense up at that, feeling Shouji's hand tense as well. They were both very well aware of the truth behind All Might's interest in Midoriya and Midoriya's surprised gasp said it all really.

"I'm not trying to pry about that." Todoroki met Midoriya's eyes, cold and calculating. "But I'm going to beat you."

At that, everyone suddenly seemed to spring into action.

"Is the best in the class making a declaration of war?" Kaminari whispered eagerly. Bakugo looked furious at Todoroki's words, everyone else seemed to tense up, Uraraka looked worried for Midoriya. He couldn't help the clenching of his fists as Midoriya looked at Todoroki in complete confusion, wondering if perhaps he'd need to back up his friend if it came to it.

Luckily Kirishima of all people was the one to approach Todoroki, "Hey, hey, hey! Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden? At least wait until the Festival's started." Kirishima went to place a hand on Todoroki's shoulder, but that was when the atmosphere turned cold.

"We're not here to play at being friends." With a single movement, Todoroki shoved off the red-haired boy's hand, turning away from the group to stalk towards the door. "Why does it even matter?"

For a moment, it seemed like that was that, but as Tokoyami was about to go reassure Midoriya, a sharp voice in his head jolted him to reality, _**"Just watch, Fumikage. He's got more guts than you think."**_

And right Dark Shadow was.

"Todoroki, I don't know what you're thinking when you say you'll beat me." Midoriya looked nervous as he looked at the icy hot Quirk user, but the determination in his eyes said it best. "But of course you're better than me. I think you're more capable than most people..." Midoriya paused, clenching his fist tightly. "Looking at it objectively..."

Kirishima seemed to think this would be a good time to interrupt, Tokoyami inwardly scoffing at the red-haired boy not realizing what was actually going on here. He hadn't been around Izuku enough to realize his tone or his intentions, but he was quickly silenced as Midoriya interrupted him aggressively.

"But, everyone - The students from the other courses are aiming for the top with everything they've got! I can't afford to fall behind!"

And as Todoroki turned to face Midoriya once more, they both met each other's faces, any shred of nerves gone from Midoriya's expression as he stated, "I'll be going for it with everything I have, too."

Bakugo sneered, Tokoyami grinned, Uraraka looked ready to slap Todoroki and Shouji looked amused.

But always needing to have the last word, Todoroki responded with a single word that summed up the whole encounter.

"Yeah."

* * *

"Hey, pay attention Audience!" A loud voice called out through the stadium, Present Mic's voice being met with applause and cheers from around the country.

Tokoyami and the rest of Class 1-A stood in the wings, waiting for the moment where Present Mic would call them out, his speech about the Festival being drowned out by the soft murmurings of some of the more nervous members of the class. Mineta seemed ready to have a panic attack and after the charged confrontation between Todoroki and Midoriya, Bakugo seemed even more pissed off than he'd ever been before.

"It's time for the first year students to enter the stage!" Present Mic announced, music blaring around the stadium, the crowds cheering loudly as Class 1-A began to walk towards the main field.

And then there was a light and everyone emerged onto the grassy stadium to the sound of screams and cheers. The biggest event in Japan, enough to replace the world Olympics, and they were the stars that would be shown off.

"Anyway, these are the guys, right? The miraculous new stars who overcame enemy attacks with their hearts of steel!"

Of course Present Mic would have to bring up their experience in the USJ to the people watching. As if the pressure wasn't already enough, what with the other classes wanting to target 1-A simply because of their experience, but now they'd have to live up to the expectations of the people watching at home, which were now more heightened than before.

He imagined his parents weren't too happy about this either.

"It's Hero course, Class 1-A!"

As everyone walked across the field, the class looking out across the stadium, Tokoyami noticed that while his nerves seemed to have quelled, it seemed that Midoriya's nerves had shot up. The boy was nervously stammering to Iida, who looked more serious than anyone in the class had ever seen him.

"He certainly knows how to lift a crowd," Jirou stated, walking alongside Tokoyami with a serious look. "You nervous Tokoyami?"

"Not at the moment, no. Although I imagine once the games begin..." His voice trailed off into silence. Jirou understood immediately, giving him a nod before moving off towards Momo, who was looking around excitedly.

Tokoyami glanced to his left where he could see another group of Heroes emerging from another part of the Stadium. Hero course, Class 1-B, their competitors. He was aware that Class 1-B had been rather desperate to prove themselves given 1-A had stolen the Hero Course spotlight. His eyes then drifted to his right where the General Studies courses were emerging, a dark purple haired boy leading the group, his face stoic and tired.

Tokoyami remembered this boy from an incident that happened at school one morning. Bakugo had gone out of his way to antagonize the rest of the school, right as this kid was standing by the door. He was one to watch out for.

The Support Courses were coming out as well, although Tokoyami was too far away to really see who they were. But he knew that the Support Courses would have many dangerous competitors since they were eligible to use the items they created in their classes.

Nobody really gave much attention to the Business Studies course who all emerged, looking more out of place than the rest of the school. They weren't exactly a course made for Heroics, but they were to compete regardless due to their studies in marketing and analyzing up and coming Heroes was the best way to go about learning first hand.

Finally, when the whole group of students were standing in the center of the arena, Tokoyami shifted himself towards Shouji, Kouda and Midoriya, giving them each a nod as they all looked up towards a small podium where the referee for the event stood.

Although there was certainly an element of concern as they realized that their referee was Midnight, an R-Rated Hero who was perhaps a little too into her role for her own good.

"It's time for the player pledge," She announced, her flogging whip striking the air with a crack.

"That's an R-Rated Hero for you," He heard Denki mutter from beside him.

"Is it okay for her to be at a high school even though she's R-Rated?" He questioned quietly to himself, not expecting an answer.

Although he really should have expected Mineta to burst in, screaming "Yes!"

With a roll of his eyes, he took his eyes off of the small grape-looking Hero, glancing back to Midnight where she seemed to be announcing something else.

"Representing the students is Katsuki Bakugo from Class 1-A!" She announced.

He had heard her correctly, right? It seemed not only was Tokoyami caught off guard, but the whole class was as everyone turned to look at Bakugo in confusion. How the heck did he get picked for the Player Pledge, and just what was he going to say? Midoriya looked especially terrified as the blonde boy slowly walked forwards towards Midnight.

"How is it Kacchan?" Midoriya muttered nervously, everyone else leaning in.

It was Sero who broke the confusion by stating thoughtfully, "That guy _did_ finish first in the entrance exam."

"In the Hero course," A girl from General Studies muttered bitterly, giving the group a rather angry glare.

"It's obvious she hates us," Sero muttered, the others looking just a little more worried now that the antagonism was out in the open.

"And it's all Bakugo's fault," Kaminari muttered.

That was when Bakugo climbed the stairs to reach Midnight and the mic and for a moment, there was only silence. What would Bakugo say? Would he be more chilled out since it was a televised event or...

"I pledge..." There was a pause and then. "That I'll be number one."

Tokoyami's blood ran cold, the rest of Class 1-A giving extremely shocked reactions, although it seemed the consensus was that they knew he'd find some way to anger the rest of the school. And that's exactly what he had done, the other courses now openly shouting and heckling the man, Iida stepping forwards in absolute horror.

"Why would you say something so disgraceful?" Iida asked angrily towards Bakugo, who turned back, completely unphased.

"At least become a nice bouncy step for me to jump off of," Bakugo carelessly replied, motioning down with his thumb.

If the rest of the school wasn't pissed off before, they certainly were now, although as Bakugo walked back towards the crowd, Tokoyami noticed that Midoriya was deep in thought, watching as Bakugo moved past him silently. Had Midoriya seen something that the others hadn't?

"Now, let's get started right away," Midnight announced, gesturing her handcuffed hands up towards the screen above, "The first game is what you'd call a qualifier! Every year, many drink their tears here! Now, here is the fateful first game!" With a crack of her whip, a large screen appeared behind her, some sort of slot machine displaying to the students.

"This year, it's... this!" And there in bright yellow letters, the words Obstacle Race were waiting for them. "All 11 classes will participate in this race. The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium-about four kilometers!"

She turned to face the group of students, a devious look upon her face. "As long as you stay on the course, it doesn't matter what you do! Now, take your places everyone!"

The implications held within those words were more than enough to cause Tokoyami some distress.

"So anything goes as long as we stay on the course," Kirishima muttered darkly.

Tokoyami glanced around, noticing that Class 1-A was getting quite a few mean glares from the other students. And all with Quirks unknown to the class. They'd need to keep ahead if they wanted to stay in the game.

"Shouji," He muttered to his friend as they neared the starting line. "Any chance you could give me a slight lift until we reach the outside?"

The taller boy looked down at Tokoyami thoughtfully, before asking, "You worried about being left behind?"

"I'm not the most athletic person here. Once outside I can summon Dark Shadow to help move me forwards but in such a tight space, I can't risk it. We all need to pass this qualifier, all twenty of us."

"Fine then, get ready though, the lights are counting down."

Tokoyami's head sharply turned to the start gate, where once three lights shone, now only two were lit. And then only one was lit.

This was it, the start of the obstacle race.

The final light turned off and the loud shout of, "Start!" Echoed through the Stadium.

"Now!" He shouted, launching forwards, Shouji grasping his shirt to lift him up.

The race had begun.

* * *

 **Author's Note - Having to re-tread existing dialogue is so much fun, but I don't want to change too much canon material for now. That being said, I'm excited to get back into the action with the Obstacle Race next chapter, it'll be a fun one!**

 **Also, as a fickle author with fickle shipping tastes, TokoyamiXMidoriya is damn near adorable and I think I like it more than the original ship of ShoujiXTokoyami. There's a very high chance I'm just going to combine the two because I don't want to write a completely separate fic for MidoriyaXTokoyami.**


	29. Don't Hesitate! Overcoming the Odds!

**Chapter 29 - Don't Hesitate! Overcoming the Odds!**

Pure adrenaline surged through Tokoyami's body as the wave that was the first year of U.A. High's Students crashed through the rather cramped tunnel that led out towards the exit, voices crying out as everyone began to push each other, some making more headway than others. Shouji seemed lucky enough to have a height advantage, allowing him to push through, while Tokoyami, held up by his friend, was able to stay above the rabble.

"This is a tough first test," Shouji muttered to himself, slamming through a pair of students from the business course with relative ease.

Tokoyami, from his vantage point, could see they were luckily near the front of the pack. Most of Class 1-A seemed to be just ahead, with most of the other classes trailing along behind.

"We're almost there," He called down to Shouji.

 **"Is it almost time for me to come out?"** Dark Shadow hissed quietly.

 _"That's right Dark Shadow. Although we need to conserve as much energy as possi-"_

His thoughts were cut short when a shocked cry emanated from the back of the room. Suddenly, a familiar cold chill settled on his spine, hearing Shouji mutter, "Not this time."

As Tokoyami glanced backwards down the path they had come, he was met with the full blast of an ice cold wind, which he knew could only have come from one student, the one that had challenged Midoriya, the one that had exceeded expectations in class without so much of a smile.

The nimble form of Todoroki leapt forwards, passing by those who had ducked away from the ice, before speeding out into the light.

But he wasn't the only one. Momo leapt forwards, conjuring a pole from her Quirk to launch herself over the ice and ahead of the pack. Next, a beam of light shot forwards, Aoyama launching himself towards Todoroki with that trademark smile of his.

"We can't afford to fall behind," He muttered in annoyance. He hadn't planned on breaking out Dark Shadow so early, but Todoroki had left him with no choice. "Shouji, hold on!" He shouted, letting his power release for the first time since his training the week prior.

Dark Shadow burst forth from Tokoyami aggressively, slamming his claws into the ground with enough force to launch Tokoyami into the air, the boy holding on to Shouji to give him the extra traction to avoid Todoroki's onslaught of ice.

"Todoroki is freezing up the entire course!" Shouji shouted in shock, Tokoyami glancing ahead as Bakugo sped past him, explosions launching from his hands as he sped off towards the leader of the pack.

"Get back here you icy-hot bastard!" Bakugo roared, Kirishima leaping across behind with his hardening ability.

Mina and Mineta also were close behind, the former using the acid from her shoes to skate a path forwards while Mineta used the balls from his hair as bounce pads to keep himself moving.

"This is where you need to get moving," Shouji muttered, arm wrapping around Tokoyami's waist, the bird looking back at his friend in surprise. "This is just the qualifier. I'll see you later!"

Before Tokoyami could reply, he was span around and flung forwards by his friend, the momentum from his prior movements forcing him further ahead of the pack.

"Dark Shadow, brace for impact! He roared, his Quirk slamming into the ground to launch him again. They just needed to keep this up until Todoroki's icy movements were halted, although for now it seemed like it would be rough going for the pair.

Only as Mineta launched towards Todoroki ahead of them, that was when Tokoyami noticed something awful about to happen. He couldn't even cry out as the massive mechanical hand sprouted out of nowhere to slam into Mineta with devastating power, the grape boy flying backwards through the air where he glanced back to see Shouji catch him further back along the path.

Midoriya had come to a stop just behind him, a sharp intake of breath the only clue Tokoyami needed to be sure of what he was seeing.

"The Robots from the entrance exam," He growled, gritting his teeth. Those robots were the whole reason for him being at U.A. thanks to their deadly precision at almost killing Shouji two months prior.

 **"These things again? I want to smash them to bits,"** Dark Shadow grimaced, Tokoyami sharing the sentiment.

Although it seemed neither would get the opportunity as right in that moment, pillars of ice erupted from the ground, shattering across the forms of the 0 Point Robots in mere seconds, everyone gasping in surprise at the spectacle before them.

His eyes darted down to where Todoroki was standing, calm and collected as he sprinted ahead through the robots without a second thought. "Careful," He called back. "I froze those robots while they were off balance."

"He took them down like they were nothing," Kaminari muttered from his left side, dumbfounded.

Tokoyami too felt a wave of unease at that display, but this was a race and hesitation was not something they could afford.

Although he didn't expect the first person to sprint ahead. Kirishima had gone full sprint towards the robots, attempting to take the same path that Todoroki had first gone through. Only that was when Todoroki's warning came back to bite them.

The ice shattered, the robots crashing to the ground around the school. Mechanical screeches and the sound of metal slamming against metal, the earth crumbling around them, was the only thing Tokoyami could sense, and it seemed like absolutely everyone was stood still as Kirishima was engulfed by the remains of the robots.

"K-Kirishima?" He questioned in surprise.

Although being so close to the Robots had it's perks, for moments later, he could hear a scraping sound that sounded like movement. And then moments later, Kirishima, hardened from his Quirk, burst from the top of the robot, irritation etched across his face.

"Anyone else could have died from that, y'know."

Taking a relieved sigh, it was only then that he heard the telltale explosions of Bakugo Katsuki, who had begun to ascend the wreckage on his own, furious beyond belief.

"Oh no you don't," He grimaced. "We need to climb!"

 **"On it,"** Dark Shadow replied, launching his shadowy arms up towards the top of the Robot. It was at times like these that he was glad that his Quirk was so versitile, launching up into the air beside Sero, who had taped his way up towards the top of the Robot as well.

"Looks like I'll just catch a ride on my Dark Shadow," Tokoyami called out to Bakugo, who sneered at the pair of them.

"You don't scare me, bird fucker!" Bakugo roared back, launching forwards towards the ground.

"Alright, let's land," He called out to his Quirk, Dark Shadow nodding in reply as they launched themselves forwards after the current leaders.

He just needed to stay ahead.

* * *

"We can't afford to be left behind!" Shouji called out, glancing around at some of his classmates who were nearby. Uraraka and Kouda were the closest, while Midoriya was slightly behind them, but one thing was for certain - Unlike those from the other classes, the Class 1-A students were more than happy to press on without hesitation.

He dodged out of the way of a smaller robot's attack, noticing that many of the one, two and three point Robots had begun to swamp the field in an attempt to slow down some of the students.

He threw a fist out to slam the robot nearest him away, using his two left arms to grapple another and toss it to the wayside. His feet were moving along the dirt path as he saw his opening through the mechanical beasts, tearing his way through until he was safely on the other side.

"Release," He heard a feminine voice mutter nearby, glancing to his right to see Uraraka had just dropped a heap of robots through her Quirk.

"Nice job," He commented as they both began to race on ahead after those in the lead.

"Thanks Shouji, we've gotta get through this, no matter what," She replied, determination lighting up her eyes as she sprinted on ahead to catch up to Tsuyu and Mina, who were both jogging further along.

Glancing back, Kouda was next to run up alongside Shouji, giving the taller boy a small wave as he passed.

"Glad to see you're holding up, Kouda," Shouji stated, giving the smaller boy a thumbs up. Kouda looked away bashfully before moving on ahead to catch up with the rest of the race.

Shouji, having spent enough time jogging to regain some of his stamina, began to pick up the pace, but not before he noticed the sound of metal scratching dirt, glancing to his side to see the rather determined frame of Midoriya coming into view.

"You like fired up," Shouji commented, keeping pace with the black haired hero.

"So do you," Midoriya replied, gritting through his teeth as he continued to move forwards with that massive chunk of metal. A make-shift shield of sorts or so Shouji guessed. "I'm surprised you haven't gone ahead. You're strong, Shouji, and I figured you'd want to stick with Tokoyami."

"I wanted to ensure that none of us were left behind," He replied firmly, although that wasn't entirely the case given he was certain that Kaminari and Jirou were still behind them. Midoriya quizzically stared at the taller boy as they continued running, as if seeing through his words in an instant. "You especially, Midoriya."

Izuku seemed surprised at that, his movement faltering slightly as they rounded a bend that lead closer to the second trial. "Me especially?"

"It's not that you're weak or anything of the sort. I just want to ensure you can fulfill your duty to All Might. I heard from Tokoyami that he wanted you to assert your presence at the Festival." Shouji noticed that Midoriya's determination seemed to double at those words, confirming his thoughts. Midoriya was definitely in it to win it right now.

"Heh," Midoriya chuckled. "Thanks for the concern then Shouji," Midoriya grinned. "Although there's no need to worry about me. I can handle this."

Shouji couldn't help but let out a small chuckle in return. "I'll be sure to remember that, Midoriya. Honestly, I'm just hoping that Tokoyami is faring well. Between Toko and you, I've got a lot of work cut out for me."

"You shouldn't have to shoulder our burdens, Shouji," Midoriya replied as they began to approach the crowd of people who were looking out at the second obstacle that they had yet to see.

"I want to, though," The taller boy replied, leaving Midoriya speechless through Shouji's humility. It was certainly something that the younger boy could relate to, that need to help others that was at the core of their job.

Their conversation petered off as they approached the second Trial, having completely missed whatever explanation Present Mic had given them. Instead, they could see a massive pit and many islands tethered together by ropes. It seemed that falling, as he saw one person from the general studies course do, was enough to get you eliminated from the race.

"It looks like I'll have to attempt my latest technique," Shouji stated, crouching downwards for a moment.

"New technique?" Midoriya asked, head tilted curiously as he looked at his friend with analytical eyes.

"I've figured out how to glide," He announced, launching himself upwards into the air with a serious amount of force, spreading his arms out like a paraglider. He could feel the wind rushing into his face as he soared higher up until he felt upwards movement halt.

And then the descent began, slow yet steady, as he aimed for the other side of the large pit of islands, marveling in that his newest technique had actually worked as anticipated. Secretly, he was hoping that someone out there was watching him, seeing him make great strides with his Quirk.

He glanced back to see Midoriya now hurrying along the ropes himself, trying to catch up with the rest of the pack.

"Good luck," He called back, the smaller boy giving him a wide grin. Even now, Midoriya was still smiling, a trait he'd picked up from All Might, he was sure.

As Shouji finally felt himself touch back onto hard rock, he was relieved to find that his stunt had managed to get him past a majority of the students still stuck on the race course, moving ahead to see if he could catch up to the top of the back. He was certain Midoriya could cope, but even so he felt himself glance back again at the student with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

And Midoriya continued to chug along, fiercely scrambling across the ropes with a conviction that Shouji had seen both in Midoriya and in Tokoyami.

With that look in his mind, he continued to move along, hoping to secure a good spot in the race.

* * *

"A minefield?" Tokoyami hissed, slowly stepping over some clearly marked potholes in an attempt to avoid the onslaught of bright pink smoke that had enveloped some of the other students further back. "This gives everyone else a chance to catch up to the leaders."

He had raced through the second obstacle without much thought, Dark Shadow propelling him across the pits without needing to even touch one of the ropes, although he imagined some of his classmates would struggle without any way to fly or launch themselves across. And when he had caught up with the third obstacle, it was just the leaders of the pack ahead.

Todoroki was still much further ahead than the rest of the group, while two of Class 1-B's students, a girl with green vine-like hair and a boy with a skeletal looking face were much further ahead than he would have liked. But overall, everyone was cautiously trying to get through the minefield without setting off any of the traps beneath.

Though that brief moment of peace was broken when he heard a loud explosion rocket past him, eyes widening, feathers bristling from the recoil as Bakugo sped past him like a bat straight out of hell. He could hear the angry roar of the boy as Bakugo slammed into Todoroki, starting what seemed like a battle between those in second place.

 **"His Quirk is rather strong,"** He heard Dark Shadow comment, noticing that Dark Shadow seemed a little unnerved by the light of Bakugo's explosions.

"No matter, we need to press on," Tokoyami muttered, picking up the pace as he saw that the leaders at the top of the pack had now started to full on sprint.

A moment later, Iida sped past, setting off landmines left and right in an attempt to catch up to the leaders, however even for his speed, Iida was still being overwhelmed by the pink explosions, Tokoyami watching as the man tripped forwards before being completely engulfed.

"Keep moving," He muttered to himself, moving as fast as he could without tripping off the mines. He was slowly gaining on Iida, the Class 1-B students and Bakugo and Todoroki, but unless something happened, he didn't think he'd have a chance to catch up further.

So naturally that was when all hell broke loose.

It started with the loud crashing explosion that rippled through the start of the obstacle course, pink dust flying up like a mushroom cloud, students screaming in horror, Dark Shadow shrinking back because of the intense light that had just come out of nowhere. "What on eart-" His words caught in his throat as his eyes caught a glimpse of what had caused such a massive explosion.

There, flying through the air, sailing over the heads of the rest of the competition, Tokoyami could see the intense face of Izuku Midoriya, speeding through the air on what looked like a piece of broken shrapnel.

And that was what spurred him into motion. "Dark Shadow, launch us upwards!" He shouted, his Quirk obeying, albeit reluctantly, launching Tokoyami forwards into the air. He could see those ahead of him had been spurred into motion, but it was as Midoriya began to descend between Todoroki and Bakugo's battle that everything changed.

Midoriya flipped himself around, slamming the board into the field, pink dust exploding into existence as Midoriya was launched forwards with a roar. But it was Todoroki now forming an ice path ahead that gave him the traction he needed to move forwards, realizing that his friend had managed to fluster both Bakugo and Todoroki in one fell swoop, the duo now completely focused on Midoriya and nobody else.

Eyes widening at the advantage Todoroki was leaving behind, his eyes darted down. "To the ice!" He shouted, Dark Shadow lurching forwards towards the icy terrain to give them a safe landing, landing with a brief slip as Dark Shadow wrapped around him to center his field of gravity.

In that moment, it seemed like all the students had launched forwards with fervor, but Midoriya, Bakugo and Todoroki were all too far ahead. No matter, just qualifying would be enough to keep him in the Festival, so with as much force as he could muster, he sprinted forwards towards the stadium, where he could see people on either side of him.

The two Class 1-B students were a few paces ahead, Iida scrambling on his right side, struggling to move forwards after his contact with the bombs, while he could hear the familiar whistle of Sero's tape behind him, dirt kicking up into the air as the students ferociously sped towards the finish line.

He sprinted into the dark tunnel leading to the stadium's inner courtyard, Dark Shadow letting loose some extra power from the darkness, as Iida burst forwards with surprising speed, Tokoyami pushing at the ground with his Quirk to keep up with the Class President.

"Keep going!" He called out to his Quirk loudly, noticing Sero right behind him through the corner of his eye, determination etched across his features as he tried to get past Tokoyami.

But just like their first battle on their first day of battle training, Tokoyami was ready, Dark Shadow lurching to the side to cut off the tape just as Sero launched forwards, causing the tape boy to stop just short of the finish, Tokoyami sprinting into the light to claim whatever spot he had obtained.

As he heard the cheers from the stadium erupting around him, he collapsed to the grass, unable to hear Present Mic's call-outs as he caught back his breath, Dark Shadow receding back into his body to rest for the moment. They had used more power than intended, but he still had more in the tank, thank goodness.

Glacing at those who had finished, he spotted Midoriya a short distance away, tears in his eyes, while Bakugo was fuming silently off to the left. Todoroki was standing alone, serious as ever, although his eyes were fixed on Midoriya.

One look at the screens around the stadium confirmed the thought that had began to run through his mind. Midoriya had claimed first place.

"Midoriya," He called out, walking towards the black haired boy who was looking extremely overwhelmed at his placement.

Midoriya turned when he heard his name, his shocked face turning into a beaming smile as he spotted Tokoyami just a short distance away. "I can't believe it," He muttered happily. "I just got really lucky but first place-"

"Deku, you did amazing!" A female voice called out, Uraraka speeding towards the pair, Tsuyu, Shouji and Kouda walking along behind her. He could see Iida absolutely exhausted on the grass behind them. "I can't believe it, first place!"

"I-I was just lucky, that's all," Midoriya sheepishly grinned.

"Luck had nothing to do with it, Midoriya," Shouji muttered quietly. "You were determined through the whole race and your planning allowed you to overcome the odds."

"Not to mention, beat Todoroki and Bakugo down," Tokoyami chuckled darkly, the group glancing over to the fuming Bakugo who was cursing to a nervous looking Kirishima, while Todoroki was now deep in thought, a few paces away. "Did all of Class 1-A qualify?"

As if answering their question - "And in fourty-second place, the final qualifying student, Yuga Aoyama, which means that the entirety of Class 1-A has qualified!" Present Mic roared out to the stadium, followed by Aizawa muttering a quiet, "Looks like I don't have to expel any of them."

Class 1-A all let out nervous chuckles at that, all of them glancing over at Aoyama who looked completely wasted, clutching his stomach while keeling over on the ground.

"Glad to see you both made it, and in the top ten as well," Shouji muttered as the class broke off into their usual groups, Midoriya and Tokoyami both nodding at his words. "And you as well Kouda, how did you fare without any animals?"

Kouda nervously looked away, glancing towards the ground until a voice said, "I helped him out."

"You helped Kouda, Jirou?" Tokoyami asked, turning to the purple haired girl, who was fiddling with her ear jacks.

Kouda nodded quickly, giving a grateful look towards the girl, who shrugged. "It was nothing."

The rest of the students began to pile in now, Present Mic announcing the eliminations as they entered, Tokoyami decided to block it out for the moment. In a few minutes, they'd be given their second task and while the Obstacle Course Race was a fairly quick affair, he had a feeling that whatever the school had planned next would be much more challenging than before.

"Are you still nervous?" Shouji asked him gently.

"Of course," He muttered, adding a, "But that won't stop me from giving it my all."

"Good to hear," The taller boy replied. "You'll have some stiff competition going ahead."

"Only sixteen qualify after this..." Tokoyami muttered once more. "I have to be one of them."

He had to be.


	30. The Second Challenge! Dream Team!

**Chapter 30 - The Second Challenge! Dream Team!**

The students had gathered together once more in the main stadium, Midnight staring down all of the surviving students, whip in hand as she began to announce the official placements for the last heat. "In first place, Izuku Midoriya," She announced firstly, Tokoyami placing a hand on Midoriya's shoulder reassuringly as he noticed the boy tremble for a moment. Midnight continued to go down the list, Todoroki in second, Bakugo in third, then came the two Class 1-B students he had seen during the race, the Vine-haired girl coming in fourth and the skull faced boy coming in fifth. Iida was announced as sixth, much to the taller boy's shame given his Quirk, which meant...

"In seventh place, Fumikage Tokoyami."

He couldn't actually believe he had once again managed to place within the single digits of another performance-based event. After the 9th place during the U.A. Entrance Exam and the 5th place during the Quirk Apprehension Test that he'd done on their first day, to be ranked in 7th in the Obstacle Race out of all of his peers, he felt a surge of pride swell from deep within him.

These results weren't sheer luck, nor were they proof that his education was, in his mother's eyes, a waste. He was doing something that made him feel fulfilled and to be validated yet again for his tenacity and his willingness to improve, the euphoria was enough to cause him to breathe out a rather audible sigh of relief, much to the mirth of Midoriya who let out a similar sigh.

"In fourteenth place, Mezou Shouji."

His eyes darted to his other companion, who was looking at his palms silently, flexing his wrists as if he had barely heard the teacher and Tokoyami couldn't help the frown forming through his beak. It was clear that Shouji was not particularly happy with his spot, although looking at the other students who had placed underneath the Top Ten, all of them seemed extremely nervous, Mineta being the only one smiling at his survival while Momo dejectedly looked away from the boy, having been subjected to his insistently clingy attitude throughout the race.

"And in fourty-second place, Yuuga Aoyama," Midnight finally finished, everyone glancing over at the rather sickly looking Aoyama, who seemed to have used just a bit too much power for his own good. "The Top 42 I have named have earned the right to advance to the second round of the Festival!" She announced with a cheer, the stadium roaring along with her.

She then turned to the students who had not qualified, who were all beginning to leave the field. "I'm sorry for the kids who failed, but don't worry, there will be events for you all to compete in after the qualifiers."

At that moment, a screen appeared behind Midnight, displaying the familiar slot machine that had selected their Obstacle Race trial from the first round, Midnight flourishing her whip before licking her lips sadistically. "And now for the second and final round of the preliminaries," She announced, giddy with excitement. "From here on out, it's going to be an _intense_ ride. The press, the crowds, the whole of Japan will be watching you, so go all out!"

As if he didn't already know that everyone was watching, that his parents were sat at home watching. But now was not the time to focus on them, he had a tournament to win and he needed to focus. Although Dark Shadow's antsy presence itching to come out was certainly not helping, Tokoyami focusing a great deal of energy on his Quirk now that Dark Shadow had regained his energy.

"Now then, onto today's heart-pounding second event!" Their hostess shouted, throwing her whip towards the screen as the slots began to roll in response. "I already know what it will be but the suspense is _killing_ me..."

Tokoyami's eyes were fixed onto the multi coloured slots going back and forth, back and forth. The students, the audience and the whole of Japan held in a breath as everyone's attention was on the whirring slot ahead of them until...

"Behold!" Midnight flung her arms in the direction of the screen where the next game was shown across the screen.

 **Human Cavalry Battle!**

"Human Cavalry...!" He heard some of his classmates mutter, Tokoyami calmly watching as they began to debate just what the game was, but it was pretty clear.

"How will it work?" Tsuyu finally asked, her croaking voice catching Midnight's attention as she said, "It's not a game that works with players playing as individuals right?"

Midnight grinned. "You can all form 2~4 person teams as you wish and forma horseback configuration!" She announced. "So you'll be working together with students of your choice!"

At that, a collective muttering of understanding seemed to settle on the students, Tokoyami glancing around already in search for who he'd want to team with... Only Midnight had to put a wrench in their plans somewhere.

"Basically, it's the same rules as a normal human cavalry battle: swipe enemy riders' headbands and guard your own. Except for one thing... Everyone will receive points based on their performance in the last trial!"

Tokoyami's eyes widened at that. So that was their plan.

"But doesn't that mean that the point value of each team will be based on who's in it?" Satou shouted out in surprise, everyone turning to him wide-eyed, although Midnight looked less than pleased at his interruption.

"Yes, that's right! Don't interrupt me again!" Midnight's glare towards Satou sent the other boy into a quiet state of shock as she continued to explain, "The number of points you're worth will be five points for fourty-second, 10 points for fourty-first and so on... With the exception of first place..."

Tokoyami snapped his gaze towards Midoriya, who had tensed up immediately at those words, beads of sweat forming on his face, eyes widened in horror.

"Whose head is worth..." She paused, watching as everyone began to slowly turn towards Midoriya before announcing the dreaded number. "Ten Million points!"

"T-Ten Million?" Midoriya muttered in absolute shock.

Fumikage had no words to utter at that. Ten Million Points, an instant win if you held that band at the end of race, which definitely seemed to be the plan.

"For those at the top, they constantly have to fight off their competition to stay where they are. Here at U.A. we take that just as seriously. This is a chance for those of you in the bottom to topple over the top." Midnight's grin was all the confirmation they needed to know she was being serious. This was a lesson that they had learned time and time again, to go above and beyond...

"This is Plus Ultra," Midnight stated coldly, the arena deathly silent as those words rung through the minds of the students. "The match will last fifteen minutes and each team's points are determined by it's members, as you so kindly reminded me earlier. The rider will wear a headband displaying the total number of points! Until the match ends, you'll all compete to grab each other's points and maintain the ones you have."

She then pulled out a headband to show to the group, unfastening the velcro strap and gesturing to it. "Any headbands you grab must be worn around the neck or higher, but the more headbands you've got, the harder they'll be to manage! Most importantly, even if you headband is taken... And even if your horse formation is broken... It's not over 'til it's over!"

Tokoyami grimaced. That meant that there would be at least ten teams on the field at all times, every one of them out to get each other's points and wait for the right moment to strike. And even so, as the fight goes on, they'd need to be aware of the point breakdown's lest they end up pursuing a team who's points would be worthless.

The crack of a whip jostled him from his thoughts as midnight continued her speech, "Quirks are allowed, so it'll be a brutal battle! However... It's still a cavalry battle! Maliciously attacking another team with the intent of making them fall will get you a red card! And that means you're out of the game! Alright, you've got fifteen minutes to form your teams!"

His eyes widened. Just fifteen minutes to come up with some sort of winning strategy.

"Shouji?" He asked, the taller boy turning to him. "I wa-"

"Sorry Tokoyami," Shouji muttered, voice rough. "Our Quirks aren't that compatible for a cavalry battle, you'd do better with another team." Shouji then pointed to Tokoyami's chest. "Dark Shadow is like a horse and I would only fill that same role with my frame and Quirk."

He understood once Shouji explained their incompatibility, but the rejection still stung as Tokoyami nodded, muttering a good luck to his friend just a little too quickly for his liking. With that rejection out of the way, he just wanted to distance himself from his friend, if only so he could focus on the best person to team with at this point.

He noticed Shouji, as well as many other members from his class, making their way over to Bakugo and decided to just ignore it. He couldn't team with someone that wasn't from his class since he didn't know their Quirks well enough for any compatibility, but as he looked around at the groups forming, it looked like everyone was being taken.

Todoroki had a winning teaming with Momo, Kaminari and, surprisingly, Iida. Bakugo had broken away from the pack with Mina, Sero and Kirishima all in tow while he noticed Shouji and Mineta now having a conversation, which further cemented his irritation with the taller man since he couldn't stand Mineta at the best of times.

 _"What the heck do we do?"_ He thought to himself, Dark Shadow bubbling up to reply rather quickly.

 **"Is Kouda taken? Jirou?"** Dark Shadow asked, the spirit popping out for a moment to survey the area.

Kouda and Jirou were already on their own team, forming away with another group where he thought he could see a floating headband. That meant Hagakure was there.

 _"We're out of options,"_ He thought dismally, his mind flashing towards the consequences should he fail here. He couldn't afford to lose out at this crucial point before even making it to the Top Sixteen.

It was in that moment that he felt a hand on his shoulder, hearing a familiar confident voice say "You."

He whirled around, knowing that voice in an instant, locking eyes with Midoriya's confident, yet absolutely petrified face.

There was a moment of silence as they both stared at each other, Tokoyami waiting to see just what Midoriya wanted, Midoriya clearly working up the nerve to ask.

"Tokoyami, I need you on my team."

And those were the words he was expecting. "You need me, Midoriya?" He asked back, hands on hips, Dark Shadow watching from just behind curiously.

Midoriya nodded, gesturing towards a group where he could see Uraraka and that one girl from the support class were watching them. "I'll hear what you have to say, although regardless I feel I don't have a choice anyway," He stated casually, walking over to the group with Midoriya.

"Well, you see, we're lacking in defense here. With Uraraka and Mei, we have mobility thanks to her support tech and Uraraka's Quirk, but we need some form of defense since we'll end up having to run away rather than fight." Midoriya turned to Tokoyami, pointing over his shoulder towards Dark Shadow. "That's where you both come in."

 **"He actually noticed me,"** Dark Shadow hissed, wrapping around Tokoyami's shoulder to look at Midoriya curiously, the black haired boy giving a small wave to the Quirk. Dark Shadow turned back to Tokoyami, a goofy grin on his features. **"I definitely like this one."**

"Shut up," He muttered with an eye roll, turning back to Midoriya who seemed moderately embarrassed at Dark Shadow's comment. "Continue?"

"R-Right-" Midoriya spluttered, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly as Uraraka rolled her eyes at Deku's embarrassment from behind. "Dark Shadow has the power to cover blind spots. Out of all the Quirks here, yours is the best suited for defending us from all sides. You just have to focus on defending with no need to attack."

Tokoyami smirked through his beak. "That's an interesting call Midoriya..." He paused, voice catching in his throat as he looked at the boy, motioning for Midoriya to step away from the two girls for a moment.

They both stepped a few paces out of earshot before he continued, his face now serious as he muttered, "Alright, if I am teaming up with you Midoriya, there is something you should know. It's about my Quirk."

Midoriya, wide-eyed, leaned in closer, picking up on how Tokoyami had lowered his voice and begun to look around. Whatever he was about to reveal, he didn't want it getting around just yet.

"Only Kouda and Shouji know about this... The darker it is, the more powerful my Quirk becomes but..." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. The last time he revealed this information was at USJ and after what had happened minutes after...

"Tokoyami...?" Midoriya asked, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, a similar gesture to Tokoyami's own just a few minutes prior. Whatever the case, that mere touch was enough to spark Tokoyami's confidence. He trusted Midoriya with the secret of his motivation for the tournament so revealing Dark Shadow's true nature, that was fine, right?

"I'm fine..." He muttered. "My Quirk becomes ferocious, difficult to control, sometimes I even lose control in the dark..." He paused for a moment, watching Midoriya's face shift from surprise to concern, although the confidence in Midoriya's eyes was still there. "But in daylight, while he's easier to manage, he isn't much use in a fight offensively."

"I had no idea... Is that why you were so out of it during USJ?" Midoriya asked quietly, seemingly putting two and two together. "I could be wrong but you seemed upset and Kouda seemed to know why."

Tokoyami nodded silently.

No more words needed to be said on that. "I've tried to keep my Quirk's weakness and strength a secret, so I wouldn't have to deal with what follows."

"Five more minutes remain!" The voice of Midnight called out, knocking the two of them back into reality.

"As I was saying, it's not like you knew, but picking me and my Quirk for pure defense..." Tokoyami stated, a small smile playing across his beak as the mood began to lift. "Not a bad choice at all, I'd say." He looked at Midoriya, who seemed just a little overly embarrassed by the praise. It was actually quite adorable in a weird way. "You're very observant Midoriya."

"S-Stop it," The other boy muttered, crossing his arms. "But yeah, that's my plan. On top of that, we both need to pass this battle. I have All Might, you have your Parents..."

Tokoyami nodded. They were kindred spirits in that sense. "Alright, use me as best you can," Tokoyami smiled. "I trust you Midoriya, you're one of my closest friends, even more so than Shouji sometimes."

 **"I trust you too, for the record,"** Dark Shadow chimed in, Tokoyami thumping the Quirk with a flick of his hand in irritation, Midoriya letting out a quiet chuckle at their antics.

"I trust you too Tokoyami, and you Dark Shadow, we won't lose this," Midoriya grinned, that familiar confidence returning in full force as the pair turned towards Uraraka and Mei, the former looking at the pair thoughtfully, like she was trying to figure out some sort of puzzle, the latter tinkering with some of her tech that Uraraka was going to wear.

"So you're our fourth member, Tokoyami?" Uraraka asked excitedly. "You'll be awesome, I'm sure!"

"I shall certainly try, Uraraka," Tokoyami nodded, Dark Shadow giving a small thumbs up from behind him, which she returned happily.

Mei, on the other hand, was warily watching Dark Shadow like it was some sort of monster, although Tokoyami was admittedly used to this sort of treatment. "He won't bite, you know."

"I-I knew that," Mei muttered quietly. "Just keep him away from my babies!" She gestured around her towards all of her gadgets and tech items, Tokoyami rolling his eyes as Dark Shadow moved to look at the closest one. "Away!" She screeched again, shooing Dark Shadow back like some pigeon or bird, Tokoyami bitterly chuckling at the irony of that.

As Midoriya moved over to sort out some discussion with Mei, that was when Uraraka made her move, practically pouncing on Tokoyami with a manic grin. "So on a scale of one to ten, how adorable is Midoriya when he's awkward?"

Tokoyami's eyes widened at the question, spluttering out a reply of, "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Oh," She replied thoughtfully, looking up at the sky innocently. "I think he's like an eight, he totally doesn't realize how cute he can be."

"Why are you telling me this?" He asked once again.

"Who said I was talking to you, Tokoyami?" Uraraka shrugged, pointing behind him, his eyes darting to Dark Shadow who was holding up his ten dark claws. "Dark Shadow agrees with me, don't you!"

 **"Ten out of ten, what do you think Fumikage?"** Dark Shadow leered. **"Or are you more interested in a certain tentacle-quirked guy?"**

"I am not having this conversation, you both need to stop listening to Ashido," He groaned, his feathers ruffled in embarrassment.

 **"Or are you interested in both of them?"**

"I am not interested in either of them and now is not the time for this conversation," He snapped irritably. Just where on earth had all this come from and why was Dark Shadow acting so chummy with Uraraka all of a sudden?

"You never answered my question, Tokoyami," Uraraka frowned. "It's all in good fun you know. I saw the way you looked at Midoriya when he was embarrassed earlier."

"If I answer your stupid question, will you drop the subject," He finally relented, Uraraka nodding excitedly. "Fine, Nine or something."

"So you do think he's adorable!" Uraraka grinned. "I can't wait to tell Ashid-"

Tokoyami blocked her out at that point. He needed to focus, they had a Cavalry Battle to win and here Uraraka was trying to set him up with two students who he'd known for about a month.

"Hey Tokoyami, sorry about that," He heard her say, her voice now calmed down from the excitement. "But you looked like you had a lot on your mind, I thought a little teasing might help you relax a bit."

He blinked. Well... He certainly was more relaxed, even if he was mortified, embarrassed and annoyed all at the same time.

"But a nine, really? That says a lot."

He groaned. The cavalry battle couldn't start soon enough.


	31. The Cavalry Battle! Escape the Fray!

**Chapter 31 - The Cavalry Battle! Escape the Fray!**

"Alright, the Cavalry battle is about to begin in just one minute!" Midnight announced across the stadium, her vicious eyes flitting between the teams eagerly as she stood on her referee podium to watch the onslaught. There were some very unique teams across the board, although her gaze was drawn to the boy with the ten million points, Izuku Midoriya.

His team would have to stand the test of time if they were to escape and advance, and as far as the team went, she couldn't help but seem impressed by the composition. Not only did they snag the only support class student who made it to this point, but that boy with the living shadow effectively made them a five-person team with only four people.

She then found her eyes wandering to the other team of the hour, her eyes taking in the sight of Endeavor's Son, Shouto Todoroki, who was paired with some tough students. Iida Tenya was the younger brother of Ingenium, while Momo Yaoyorozu was the only other student to be accepted via recommendations. She had no real information on the final boy, the one with the lightning streak of black and blonde hair, but he seemed determined.

This was going to be a good match.

Across the field, Tokoyami stood in front of the formation of his team, Dark Shadow poised and ready, glaring out ahead at the stadium. Midoriya was nervously tense, watching across the field at the other teams who all seemed to be facing them. It was rather clear what the first few minutes of this battle would be as Todoroki, Bakugo, Shouji and those of the other classes all glared daggers at the top team.

And Tokoyami was only just beginning to realize the side effect of his high profile team choice.

Not only was he going to need to be at his most alert to keep his team safe, but he would probably be shown with Midoriya, Uraraka and Mei across the country, including to his parents. If they were watching, this was his time to show them he meant business, lest he fail and be forced out of his home. But he couldn't fail and neither could Midoriya.

The pair had to advance, they needed this more than any of the others in the stadium. And that meant beating their friends in order to surpass them. In the end, only sixteen would survive, the rest would have their ambitions crushed in an instant.

"Alright, it's time for the final countdown! Good luck!" Present Mic called out from his announcement box, Aizawa silently watching from next to him.

That was when he heard Midoriya, "Uraraka, Hatsume, Tokoyami, Dark Shadow!" He stated firmly. "Let's do this!"

"You got it Deku!" Uraraka replied.

"Use my Babies well!" Hatsume excitedly said.

"We're with you!" Tokoyami stated, Dark Shadow giving a quick thumbs up towards Midoriya.

And so they all glanced up to the timer that had appeared on screen until...

"Start!"

Without batting an eye, Tokoyami quickly glanced towards the closest of the groups that had turned towards them. Hagakure's team from their own class and one of the Class 1-B group were charging forwards, "We're coming for you Midoriya!"

Tokoyami continued to watch from the front, relaying the info quickly, "We've got incoming attacks from two teams. Thus is the fate of those who are pursued..." He let out a chuckle at that. If anyone would understand his cryptic and mysterious theatrics, it would be Midoriya. "Make your choice Midoriya!"

"We run away of course!" Midoriya replied back hastily.

Only it was in that moment of indecision that the ground beneath them suddenly began to soften, Tokoyami's feet beginning to sink into the battlefield, his eyes shooting down with a fierce glare. "What the-"

"We're sinking!" Uraraka cried out. "That must be that guy's Quirk!" She said, gesturing with her head towards the Class 1-B group where the skull-faced boy that had beaten Tokoyami in the Obstacle Race was speeding towards them.

"Uraraka, Hatsume, turn away quickly!" Midoriya shouted, the only warning that was given before Tokoyami heard the press of a button. He felt Midoriya's grip tighten on his shoulders as suddenly they found themselves launched through the air, barely any weight to their ascent as Uraraka grinned at the success.

She had decided to lighten the load with her Quirk, ensuring that they were only carrying her weight and the support gear, making them all considerably lighter in the process.

"Jirou, get them!" Tooru shouted from her spot, the dark haired girl glancing up with her earphone jacks to slam towards them.

Tokoyami felt Dark Shadow swing around behind them, slashing at the earphone jacks with his dark power to send them right back down to Jirou, who looked stunned. It only took him a moment to realize that most of his classmates hadn't seen Dark Shadow at his full potential so this was going to be interesting indeed.

"Well done Dark Shadow!" He praised. "Keep covering our blind spots!"

 **"You've got it!"** Dark Shadow replied confidently.

"Wow, that was awesome! That's exactly the defensive power we were lacking!" Midoriya said excitedly. "But now we're covered at midrange from every direction! Good going, Tokoyami, and you too Dark Shadow!"

Of course, it was the first time Midoriya had seen the versatility of his Quirk as well. He couldn't help the small bubble of pride in the pit of his stomach as Midoriya continued to shower praise onto him and his Quirk. He could definitely feel Dark Shadow's excitement at the attention.

"You're the one who chose me, Midoriya," He replied finally, silencing the excitable boy with the honest truth. Midoriya had come up with this plan, Tokoyami was seeing it through for the both of them.

"We're landing!" Uraraka shouted, the quartet slamming down towards the ground as a sudden gust of air broke their fall, Hatsume's boots causing them to come to a landing safely and steadily, Tokoyami's feet touching the ground in a graceful landing.

"How do you like my babies!? Cute aren't they!? That's how I made them! I can't wait to show the support companies who I really am!?" Hatsume squealed, Dark Shadow growling in irritation unbeknownst to the inventor, while Midoriya continued to praise her for her work. Midoriya was just a really good leader, he realized.

"It only worked cuz I floated you guys," Uraraka muttered, although Tokoyami picked up on it instantly.

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy, Uraraka?" He whispered, quite content to be getting revenge for her earlier comments about Midoriya's cuteness level.

"Oh, I'm not forgetting about this one," She hissed back, shooting Tokoyami an evil glare that promised all the revenge later on.

Dark Shadow reared up, slamming his claws in the direction of the boy from Class 1-B with the similar Quirk to Kirishima, when suddenly Tokoyami felt a presence, familiar, yet unnerving.

He darted his head to the side, body freezing up for a moment as he registered something he wished he didn't have to deal with.

Mezou Shouji speeding towards them, arms encased in some sort of cocoon, glaring at the group with a coldness to his gaze, rocking Tokoyami's world to the core. Dark Shadow was still fending off the 1-B horse, which meant Shouji had a clear shot at Midoriya.

"Shouji's alone?" Midoriya called out in confusion. "But this is a cavalry battle?"

"Midoriya!?" He snapped, the haste in his voice betraying his desire to get the hell out of there without a fight. "We must keep our distance! Fighting multiple foes is a bad idea!"

That was when Uraraka squeaked, Tokoyami's eyes glancing back to see what had caused her discomfort, his breath hitching in his throat as a familiar purple grape-like ball was stuck against Uraraka's foot, where Hatsume's gear was.

"Huh!? I'm stuck!" She called out, her eyes desperately glancing to Midoriya for some sort of plan.

"That's Minetas's!" Midoriya choked out. "But where is he...?"

Tokoyami saw it before any of the others, the telltale flash of an iris in the dark, the creeping feeling of something absolutely disturbing watching them. That revulsion that was reserved for the depths of his hatred for the one known as Mineta, who's eye was peeking out of Shouji's cocoon like some sort of horror villain.

"In here Midoriya..." Mineta chuckled deviously, firing more of his grape calls towards the group, Dark Shadow swooping around to block most of the grapes.

His eyes darted to the 1-B team that Dark Shadow had been fending off, although as he turned, something sharp, bright pink and wet sliced past his face, straight into the 1-B group, causing them to veer out of the way. "Good job dodging, Midoriya, Tokoyami," The familiar voice of Tsuyu called out from inside of Shouji's cocoon.

Tokoyami knew that Shouji was going all out, but this was terrifying on a whole other level and he wanted no part of this. The last thing he wanted was to take Shouji out or have Shouji take them out of the ring, so gratefully he let out a small sigh of relief as the tell tale burst of energy that came from Hatsume's rocket boots launched them into the air.

Although the breaking of metal and electricity dancing off of Uraraka's foot where Mineta had got her was something to write home about. Hatsume cried out in horror, "Ahh! My baby got ripped apart!" She looked absolutely horrified by what was left of her precious support gear.

"Sorry!" Midoriya replied, voice tense. "But we did manage to get away!" He had to admit they had done just that. Shouji and his group were left in the dust, he only hoped he wouldn't have to face his friend any more. He didn't think he'd have the heart to take on Shouji any more, but at least he was showing the versatility of his Quirk. That was what he wanted from the Festival, so despite his horrific choice of Mineta on his team, he was happy his friend was trying to make a statement.

So caught up in his thoughts he was that he barely had time to register the loud explosion and the roar of anger behind them, nor the angry, yet familiar voice that made his blood boil. "Getting pretty full of yourself, huh, you bastard, Deku!"

Bakugo was surging towards them, intent on doing as much damage as possible, his horse nowhere in sight. Uraraka and Hatsume were both focused on the landing now they were one shoe down. And then...

"Tokoyami!"

Midoriya's voice was enough to surge Dark Shadow into action, before Tokoyami could even command him, the dark mass swirling around to slam into their left side, meeting Bakugo's explosion halfway in a bright surge of light that left Dark Shadow reeling back in recoil, the light having momentarily stunned him.

" _D-Dark Shadow, are you alright?"_ He quickly thought, the light from Bakugo's Quirk so intense that he knew Dark Shadow had to be feeling hurt.

"What the hell...?" He heard Bakugo mutter as Sero's tape flew through the air, dragging the boy out of sight.

 **"F-F-F-Fine..."** Dark Shadow replied, clearly not fine. They hadn't been expecting that and now they were paying the price. **"Just pr-r-rotecting our b-b-blind spots like you asked F-Fumikage..."**

"Midoriya!" He called out sharply. "Dark Shadow cannot afford another hit right now, Bakugo's explosion has left him rattled!"

Midoriya nodded, "We just need to keep evading! When we land, try and keep away from any other teams for as long as we can!" He commanded rationally, the group slamming to the ground with a rough landing after their soft cushion was taken from them by Mineta's attack.

Tokoyami gritted his teeth, his beak clamping down as they landed, Dark Shadow retreating to wrap slightly around Tokoyami, although the bird boy noticed a few wisps of Darkness wrapping around Midoriya's arm in comfort.

"He respects you, you know," Tokoyami stated, breathing deeply during a moment of rest, Midoriya looking between Dark Shadow and Tokoyami with confused eyes. "You're a capable leader, Midoriya."

"Without you, we'd be toast," Hatsume stated from the side, "Although my Babies wouldn't be broken so..."

"You're doing great, Deku!" Uraraka smiled.

 **"I won't let you lose,"** Dark Shadow hissed out quietly, some of his usual pep beginning to resurface in his voice. **"Fumikage and you can't afford to lose here, so I won't let you lose either."**

"He's such a loyal Quirk," Uraraka commented. "Has a great taste in stuff too," She grinned, looking to Tokoyami, then to Midoriya.

Although Midoriya obliviously missed any of the subtext as he quietly muttered a "thanks" before going back to look awkwardly adorabl-

Tokoyami blinked. Oh no, he did not just think that.

First Shouji, now Midoriya... "We should focus on the battle," He stated, more to himself than anything else, the group all nodding although his thought still lingered. Midoriya adorable...?

"And it looks like Class B's Monoma has taken Bakugo's headband! What a shocking turn of events!" Present Mic roared, the group glancing to the side, Midoriya especially keen on spotting the Class B students all in the distance.

"Class B..." Midoriya muttered to himself. "They threw the qualifiers and planned for the long game."

"Not all of them," Tokoyami cut in. "The girl with vines for hair and the boy with the Quirk that turns the ground to liquid, they both placed in fourth and fifth."

"Probably to gain points," Uraraka chimed in. "Sure, they could all just rob points from teams by feigning their abilities, but having some points already garnered as like a fail safe, that's probably why they placed so high."

"Either way though, I've had the impression that they want to take us down since before the Sport's Festival. Kacchan didn't help things either when he insulted everyone."

"Not to mention that player pledge. Oh boy, you should have heard the general students after that," Hatsume giggled maniacally.

"You know though, there's a chance they're not necessarily dead set on targeting me since they've been going after all the other 1-A teams..." Midoriya breathed a sigh of relief. "Guys, I think it won't be too hard to evade-"

And in that moment, a chill ran through their spines, the four students stepping backwards hastily as the seeping icy cold wind coming from ahead of them hit them full force.

Tokoyami gritted his beak, keeping his expression calm as Midoriya began to eat those words, for standing just ahead of them was the one team they really did not want to have to face. Todoroki's cold eyes glared daggers at the quartet, Tokoyami's mind flashing back to Todoroki's words before the start of the festival.

 _'But I'm going to beat you.'_

The Declaration of War against Midoriya.

Tokoyami supposed he should have seen this coming. Involving himself in Izuku's team was just asking for Todoroki to come running at some point, but for the first time in the festival, he felt the nerves in his stomach evaporate into thin air. Because there was something about the immense pressure coming off of Todoroki's team that had his heart pumping and his body itching for a fight.

 **"Oh, I'm feeling ready to go, Fumikage,"** Dark Shadow hissed menacingly.

"Or maybe it won't be quite that easy..." Midoriya finally muttered, their leader locking eyes with Todoroki.

"We're coming for you." Todoroki said it so coldly, so seriously. Iida at the front of the opposing team watched the group with focused eyes, unnaturally menacing as Tokoyami began to realize they were actually doing this. They were actually about to go up against some of the strongest members in the class.

That's when Todoroki's gaze faltered, turning to the sides, Tokoyami following as he suddenly realized that most of the teams without headbands had begun to stare at them.

And of course, leading the charge, was Shouji, Mineta and Tsuyu.

"Looks like this won't end without a fight..." He growled, Dark Shadow wrapping around their front to protect them, although he could feel Midoriya shaking on his back. "They're really gunning for you, Midoriya!"

"We're halfway through, so we've gotta keep moving! But there're..." His voice trailed off as Todorki's team started into action, dashing forwards towards them with surprising speed. "...multiple teams incoming!"

All of the teams rushed towards the two teams facing off, Todoroki glancing back before stating some words Tokoyami couldn't hear, although judging from Momo's arms raising and Kaminari grinning, whatever they had planned couldn't be good.

Suddenly, a massive blanket appeared, draping itself across Todoroki's team as Kaminari roared loudly.

That was all the warning Tokoyami had to rear Dark Shadow back as the golden yellow electricity of Kaminari's Quirk rippled from his hands, sparking across the ground like a tidal wave to strike down all the teams approaching.

He saw Shouji's legs falter for a moment, he saw Jirou screaming Kaminari's name angrily, he saw Class 1-B students getting zapped and all the while he was just grateful that Dark Shadow had withdrawn the moment he had. A second later and he was certain Dark Shadow would be pretty much grounded.

Moments later, the pale yellow light of Kaminari's electricity began to falter, only to be replaced just as suddenly by a burst of clear blue ice, spreading and forming across the ground where the downed cavalry teams were all standing. And Tokoyami couldn't help but stare at Shouji's team as the ice began to slowly freeze up Shouji's legs.

Once again Todoroki had rendered the gentle giant unable to fight back.

"Damnit, the pack's not working!" Midoriya growled, the jetpack sparking before fizzling out.

"I guess there's room for improvement..." Hatsume chuckled nervously, looking anywhere but at Midoriya as she said that, the mortification quite evident in her voice.

"They're too strong! We'll never get away!" Uraraka cried out, staring at the team ahead of them with some sort of determination.

"I'll create a diversion!" Tokoyami shouted. "Dark Shadow!"

 **"On it!"** Dark Shadow replied, launching his claws towards the team ferociously.

Only he wasn't expecting the burst of light, followed by a concrete wall rising up to block his attack.

"Damnit, her creation Quirk!" He growled, the recoil from her sudden shield pushing Dark Shadow back uncomfortably.

"What a pain!" Uraraka groaned.

Tokoyami shook his head though, eyes peering to Kaminari at the back. "No, Kaminari's the real problem. His electricity would have wrecked Dark Shadow."

Midoriya's eyes widened in horror at that, Dark Shadow turning to look at them with a somewhat somber look in his eyes. **"You know, maybe we could just reason with them..."**

"Oh, you are not doing this, Dark Shadow," Tokoyami groaned. "As long as he keeps up is electricity, I don't have a shot."

But what would they be able to do? Tokoyami couldn't see any way out of this without Dark Shadow taking some serious damage, and with Todoroki's grim determination, he found that keeping Midoriya safe was about to become even tougher than he'd imagined. And with it, their chance to progress to the Top 16... If he was beaten here.

 _"What do we do?"_ He thought to himself, hoping to figure something out.


	32. Dark Shadow's Diversion! Reminiscing!

**Chapter 32 - Dark Shadow's Diversion! Reminiscing!**

Beads of sweat were dripping from Tokoyami's feathers as he stood his ground, staring down the team that Todoroki had fashioned with an intensity unlike anything he had ever felt before. Teams were stuck in ice around them, unable to move and they were blocked in to a corner, forced to face Team Todoroki or lose out on their points.

And they were well and truly cornered. Dark Shadow was looming back, an unnatural uneasiness creeping into his posture as the Quirk seemed to slouch back slightly. Kaminari's electricity meant he'd have no chance to really do any damage against Todoroki's group and that was eating away at him as he tried to keep his Quirk in fighting condition.

"Tokoyami," Midoriya said quietly, voice low enough that their opposing team couldn't hear them talking. "Dark Shadow is weakened by the sunlight and Kaminari's attacks... But they don't know that, right?"

Tokoyami grimaced. He hoped they didn't know as he'd tried to keep the weakness of his Quirk very much on the down low. "Probably," He hissed back, his eyes focused on the enemy ahead. "The only person I explicitly told about my weakness was Kouda back at USJ and he's normally quiet about that stuff. Shouji knows as well."

"As long as they don't know..." Midoriya paused, as if he had already come up with some sort of plan, although Tokoyami couldn't see where he was going with it. "...we can fake them out! We'll be fine and the ten million points will stay with us!"

In that moment, Todoroki's group charged forwards, Midoriya quickly barking out, "Left!"

Tokoyami didn't need to be told twice, the group charging left as Todoroki slammed his hand downwards as ice began to form where the group had been standing moments before. In that moment, Kaminari's electricity zapped forwards, Dark Shadow rushing out to meet it with a glare.

 _"Keep up the aggression. It's an act, but if it works, we can keep them at bay!"_ He thought to Dark Shadow, the Quirk doing just that with a low growl.

"Uraraka, can you try and decrease our weight even more, even by a bit?" Izuku asked desperately, the brown haired girl nodding, touching another bit of clothing that hadn't been affected by her Quirk.

And so they kept up their dodging, using the same tactic to try and keep from Todoroki's ice attacks, while Dark Shadow continued to keep them at bay.

Until...

"One minute remains!" Present Mic shouted out excitedly, everyone taking no notice aside from Midoriya, who was quickly trying to devise a strategy to survive the final minute.

"Midoriya, do not let your guard down," Tokoyami hissed under his breath.

 ** **"They're going to try something!"** **Dark Shadow stated, the group noticing that Iida had turned to Todoroki, discussing something with such severity that even Todoroki seemed surprised.

"Whatever they try, we've got thi-" Uraraka began when suddenly...

"Recipro Burst!"

The wind sliced past them, their clothes ruffling in the breeze, Midoriya's hair brushing backwards as something sped past them with such force that they couldn't even see it. One blink and Todoroki's team was gone, Midoriya choking out a gasp as his hand rushed to his forehead.

"Huh?" Midoriya spluttered.

But as they all turned to Iida, Tokoyami in a state of shock, they heard his explanation loud and clear. "I elevated my torque and r.p.m to an explosive degree. The kickback stalls my engines temporarily though. It's a secret technique that I haven't shown anyone yet." Iida stared straight at Midoriya, pushing his glasses up slightly from their crooked position. "As I said earlier Midoriya. I'm challenging you!"

Tokoyami had no idea how to react. One moment they had their points and now they were at zero. But with a single minute left... What could they do? Tokoyami wasn't sure.

"Charge them!" Midoriya shouted, anger, determination and a ferociousness that Tokoyami had never seen before flashing across his face.

"I can't attack as long as Kaminari's there!" He replied in frustration. "Going after someone else's points is out best bet..."

But Midoriya shut him up in an instant. "That's no good Tokoyami! Can't you see the difference in the points!? And we have no idea how the other team's point values are split! This is our only option!"

Damnit, he was right, Tokoyami realized, darting his eyes to the team that had taken their lead away.

Only he wasn't expecting a push from behind to send them moving forwards, nor was he expecting a loud, "Here we go!" From Uraraka, Tokoyami glancing back to her in surprise and confusion. But the fierceness in her eyes, the expression on her face, it caused him to pause. "We're getting it back Deku! No doubt about it!"

It only dawned on Tokoyami that Uraraka's dream of helping her parents would end if they lost here as well, another motivation that was important in the long run. That motivation to carry on, this last ditch effort... Uraraka was willing to throw it all on the line in a final gambit here.

He looked to Hatsume, who seemed unusually calm, her brows furrowed with determination. Of course, she had her own reasons for joining up, to be seen by the support companies. It may be something he couldn't relate to, but her motivation was the same as anyone else's.

And Midoriya himself, he had to live up to All Might's expectations and continue in this tournament. He had the Number One Hero pressuring him this whole time to succeed and wasn't playing around.

Tokoyami realized how foolish his original suggestion was, eyes focusing on the target ahead of them, teeth gritted, beak clamped shut. He had to do this, he needed those points so that his parents wouldn't kick him out or worse, force him to leave U.A. entirely. He **needed** to survive this battle!

"Alright, I trust you Midoriya!" He shouted, launching forwards with the rest of his team.

Iida had made one crucial mistake. He'd explained how they'd be stuck in place, so as they charged forwards, Todoroki's team could only watch as they approached. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Midoriya reaching for Todoroki, his arm beginning to glow with the power of All Might's Quirk, something he could now recognize since he knew Midoriya's secret.

But he knew that Midoriya hadn't yet mastered that technique. One for All, as Midoriya had explained once, hurt him every time he used it, so this could put him out of commission right? But that determination on his face... Tokoyami shook his head and charged forwards, hoping that Midoriya could pull it off.

Midoriya slammed his hand forwards, glowing with the power of One for All as Todoroki instinctively raised his left arm to block.

Wait... His left?

Flames began to erupt from Todoroki's arm, Midoriya still going for the attack when at the last moment, right as they were about to connect, Midoriya sliced his arm off to the right.

The sudden slash of the air from the sheer brutal force of Midoriya's attack caused Todoroki's arm to fling outwards, the flames going out as fast as they came, the sheer look of horror on Todoroki's face being enough to tell them that his guard was completely down. He was in a state of shock as Midoriya surged forwards, grasping one of the headbands before yanking it off.

Tokoyami heard the snap of the velcro, feeling surprised that Midoriya had actually managed to pull it off.

As they charged ahead, coming to a stop away from the other team, Midoriya shouted out, "I got it! I really got it!" The disbelief in his voice, tinged with the satisfaction of having really broken Todoroki's guard was all that was keeping Tokoyami's spirits up until...

"Wait a second. That headband..." Hatsume muttered quietly as in the background they heard Present Mic stating they had just seventeen seconds remaining. "It's the wrong one!" She gasped horribly, everyone's eyes turning to the headband to see a bright red seventy on the front.

"We've been tricked!" Midoriya choked out.

Without a second to process that information, Tokoyami span the group around, Uraraka and Hatsume following suit, Midoriya and his team all turning to face the shaken up Todoroki.

They charged forwards, Present Mic counting down the time in the background.

Ten seconds, Tokoyami racing forwards, Dark Shadow now blasting ahead.

Nine seconds, they heard a loud cry from their right, Tokoyami barely seeing the form of Bakugo flying through the air like some sort of demon.

Eight seconds, Iida was trying to talk to Todoroki who was still clearly out of it.

Seven seconds, Dark Shadow launching forwards, but still too far away to try and cause damage.

Six seconds, he could feel Midoriya's legs digging into his back, tense from the intense situation.

Five seconds, he felt Hatsume falter for a moment, causing them to slow for a moment.

Three seconds, Midoriya was reaching his arm out, but Tokoyami could see he was too far away. They were too far away to reach.

Two seconds, think Tokoyami, think! This was their only chance! His eyes lit up, a simple command, an opening Midoriya created.

One second, Dark Shadow launched into the fray to snap at Todoroki before anybody could see, Tokoyami hearing the satisfying sound of velcro unfastening.

And time was up, Dark Shadow retreating before anyone could notice, Uraraka finally collapsing from the weight of keeping almost all of them weightless for the whole event, Hatsume breathing deeply as she moved backwards, Midoriya dismounting like he was in a daze.

And Tokoyami could not blame him. After that intense and rather draining battle, he wanted nothing more than to rest. But the item in Dark Shadow's mouth certainly required his attention. He needed to tell Midoriya.

"In first place, Team Todoroki!"

He walked towards his team, Uraraka and Hatsume looking at him quizzically with saddness, until they noticed what was hanging from Dark Shadow's mouth, their eyes widening. Midoriya was further away, on the ground, clearly upset. He hadn't noticed.

"In second place, Team Bakugo!"

Tokoyami raced towards Midoriya, the boy still unaware of what had transpired. "Midoriya, are you alright?" He asked, coming up to his friend with concern.

"I... I'm so sorry, really..." He muttered, trying to hold back the tears.

"In third, Team Tetsu- Whoa, Team Shinso!"

Tokoyami placed a palm on Midoriya's shoulder before quietly stating, "Todoroki was clearly shaken by your first attack, Midoriya. I did my best to nab the ten million with Dark Shadow at the end, but... I came up short."

Midoriya turned to look at him sympathetically, probably because they were in the same boat pretty much, that was until Midoriya saw the coy smile on Tokoyami's beak.

"But I got another one."

Midoriya's eyes widened, Dark Shadow wrapping around Midoriya's shoulder to rest next to his head, a headband hanging from his mouth with a bright six-hundred and fifteen on it. "We managed to get the one on his head when he dropped his guard."

Tokoyami knelt down beside the black haired boy who was staring at him with the most jaw-dropped look. "Midoriya," He said quietly. "That last ditch effort of yours left Todoroki open."

 **"Without you convincing this bird brain that his option was stupid, we'd never have gotten those points,"** Dark Shadow added with a low rumbling chuckle.

"In fourth, Team Midoriya!" Present Mic roared. "These four teams will proceed to the final event!"

Midoriya, from his place on the ground, couldn't help the tears that began to flow as he heard that, all the stress and the emotions of the Cavalry Battle hitting him all in an instant. Dark Shadow, subtle as ever, quickly nuzzled into Midoriya's neck in an attempt to cheer him up while Tokoyami continued patting his friend on the back awkwardly. If Midoriya was uncomfortable though, he didn't show it, clearly too emotional from their close win to really react to the sudden contact.

Although the face Uraraka was making towards Tokoyami as she watched Dark Shadow comforting Midoriya, a demonic Cheshire cat grin, was enough to tell him she wasn't letting him live this comfort session down any time soon. He grumbled under his breath, watching as some of the other students began to stumble off to the side of the stadium as Midnight announced their dismissal for lunch.

"You three did well," A familiar voice called out softly from behind them.

Tokoyami felt his hands tense at the voice, his eyes closed in sadness as he turned to look at the rather melancholic look hidden deep in Shouji's eyes, the taller boy standing a few paces away looking rather dejected, flecks of ice still clinging to his tracksuit.

"I..." Tokoyami paused, looking to the concrete of the stadium with a sad look. "I'm sorry Shouji, I know how much you wanted to pass."

By this point, Midoriya had finally came back from his euphoric meltdown, now looking up at the pair of students behind him, Dark Shadow frowning from his spot on Midoriya's shoulder.

"It's fine," Shouji stated, exhaustion creeping into his tone. "I knew that there was a high chance I wouldn't make it, despite Mineta's idea being sound. Todoroki, he... His ice-" Shouji's voice cut off as the taller boy clenched his fists angrily. "That was the second time that he's stopped me from being able to do anything. Only this time it came at the cost of my chance to impress the Heroes watching."

"Todoroki..." Midoriya muttered, his voice now calm and quiet. "He's like a machine, so powerful but not without a weakness. Remember Tokoyami, the only reason we won was because he was flustered."

Tokoyami nodded slowly. "He used his flames and it seemed to cause a drop in his composure. Something about Todoroki seemed off during this battle..."

 ** **"Perhaps he had his own motive for winning, just like you three,"** **Dark Shadow chimed in, glaring at the down-trodden Shouji with his bright yellow bulbous eyes. **"One day you'll prove to him that you're worth something, it's just not today."**

"Since when did you get so wise?" Tokoyami asked, his feathers raising curiously.

 ** **"Since you're all moping around and I'm hungry!"** **Dark Shadow growled.

Midoriya blinked at that. "You don't even eat though."

 ** **"Well Fumikage's hungry then! Either way, you need to stop moping because two out of the three of you got through, celebrate the good stuff or something... If you dwell on the bad, it only makes me more likely to cause trouble."** **Dark Shadow matter-of-factly gave a pointed look to Tokoyami, who was watching his Quirk with a mixture of confusion and surprise.

His Quirk was actively trying to keep his urge to control Tokoyami, a feeling that had been with them since their first encounter that Dark Shadow normally ignored, in check. For the first time in their lives, Dark Shadow wanted Fumikage to keep it together? What on earth was going on?

"He's right," Tokoyami finally admitted, folding his arms in defeat. "We should be celebrating our victory, should we not?"

"I still can't believe it," Midoriya muttered to himself as the trio began to make their way towards where many of the other class members from 1-A were gathered, Uraraka waiting for them with Ashido, both with massive grins on their faces.

"Oh god," Tokoyami hissed under his breath, knowing those evil looks on their faces. Ashido had her gossiping expression on. "Whatever you're both about to say, don't."

"I wasn't going to say anything, just that since I'm through to the finals as well, don't think I'll be going easy on you Tokoyami," Ashido leered, her grin never faltering as he saw the fire of determination shining in her eyes.

"I won't back down either," Tokoyami muttered calmly, although the slight upturn of his beak betrayed the giddiness inside of him that he'd be fighting in the Top Sixteen.

* * *

Lunch was a rather loud affair for a majority of the school. With an hour of relaxation before they returned to the stadium for the Afternoon's activities, Tokoyami had already found himself sidling out into the school grounds before anyone could say a word. The first fifteen minutes of lunch were packed with students praising him for making it to the Top Sixteen, but he preferred the cool breeze of the outside and so he took his lunch with him, heading away from the large group of students.

His phone hadn't buzzed since he'd last checked it, half-expecting a call from his parents, but there was no call or text to be had. There was a definite unsettling feeling that came with knowing that his parents were probably sat at home waiting for him to slip and, his bags probably already packed. Although a small part of him wondered if they'd actually go through with their threats. His mother was a serious woman when she wanted to be after all…

"Oh, Tokoyami?" A voice called out surprised, breaking him out of his thoughts as his red eyes glanced up at the barely taller Midoriya, who seemed shocked to find anyone out here, let alone Tokoyami.

Brow raised, it took Tokoyami a moment to realize that Midoriya was walking from the direction of the stadium. He hadn't even had the chance to head to the lunch room yet. "Are you hungry?" He asked.

Midoriya blinked at the odd question, but Tokoyami's piercing gaze finally got a "Yes," out of him.

Tokoyami huffed, holding out some of his own lunch to the other boy, who looked at it with an expression of bewilderment. "Are you going to take it or not? The lunch hall is a war zone so you won't have any luck in there."

"T-Thanks," Midoriya stammered, taking the food gratefully. "I didn't think anyone would be out here."

"Heh, I'm not one for big crowds," He admitted, pacing a few steps across the grass away from Midoriya towards his destination. "I'd much rather be out here in the peace and quiet."

He walked up to his destination, the familiar tree that he had sat upon for most lunch times, quickly hopping his way up the familiar branches, Midoriya watching intently as he hopped up to the top branch where the wooden platform was.

"You go up there at lunch?" Midoriya called out in surprise.

Right, the boy had never seen the hideaway before. Shouji, Kouda and Momo were the only ones who had actually been up there before and even then Momo had only come up the one time a few days ago.

"It's a place to relax Midoriya. Perhaps you could use some of it's benefits."

The offer was out there. Midoriya didn't have to take it, but Tokoyami admittedly wouldn't mind the company while Shouji and Kouda were inside with the others for the time being.

"Uh, sure, I guess," Midoriya muttered, grabbing one of the low hanging branches before making his way, rather slowly up the tree, trying to follow the path that Tokoyami had taken a few moments prior.

" **I bet he slips,"** Dark Shadow whispered, snaking out around Tokoyami contently.

"Midoriya wouldn't slip after seeing me climb the tre-"

"Woah!" Midoriya cried out, Tokoyami looking down to see his friend had slipped backwards with a cry. It seemed everyone who tried to climb this tree was destined to fail at least once, Midoriya grasping on to a lower branch to break his fall.

"Are you alright, Midoriya?" He called out, concerned.

"F-Fine," The other boy growled, that familiar determination in his voice. "I won't let this tree beat me. I'll be up in a minute."

" **You owe me,"** Dark Shadow hummed in a sing-song tone, his beady yellow eyes glowing with mirth. **"He's pretty impressive though. No Shouji to catch him on his first fall and he still keeps his cool."**

"I didn't _need_ Shouji," Tokoyami grumbled back, memories rushing back to their first visit to the top of the tree when Shouji had to catch him. "I am perfectly capable on my own."

" **Mhm, well you better be capable of relying on me later on. I don't want to get kicked out any more than you do,"** Dark Shadow explained, a slight seriousness on the edge of his tone, just enough to catch Tokoyami's attention.

"We won't lose," He muttered, watching as the slender form of Midoriya hauled himself onto the wooden platform, some twigs stuck in his black hair. "Midoriya, you uh, your hair," He muttered, pointing to the twigs, which Izuku brushed off haphazardly.

"So this is your hideout then?" Midoriya asked, sitting beside Tokoyami on the surprisingly large wooden platform, his eyes glancing at the space with surprise. "How did you even find this?"

"I wanted to climb a tree on the USJ day and I forced Shouji to climb up with me," He explained.

"You and Shouji are pretty close, huh," Midoriya remarked quietly as he dangled his feet over the edge next to Tokoyami. "Ever since that first day in class, you've been tied at the hip."

"Given we took the same path home, we both helped each other in the entrance exam and he carried me to school that one time, are you at all surprised?" Tokoyami deadpanned, Midoriya shrugging his shoulders.

"I wasn't surprised at all. I just remember those days where we'd chat to each other when nobody else was around. I'd complain about Kacchan, you'd talk about your training, we'd chat about heroes..."

Those were times he had almost forgotten about with the rush of events going on in his life. The days where he would sit at his computer and chat away without a care in the world were a far cry from the tension of the tournament they were forcing, nor the danger of the USJ incident.

"They were simpler times, Midoriya," Tokoyami stated coolly.

"I miss them sometimes..." Midoriya replied, sombrely. His face was downcast for a moment, glancing down at the grassy field below.

Tokoyami couldn't really say anything else, the moment didn't call for it. Because deep down, he knew that he missed those moments as well, where nobody else mattered and it was just Tokoyami talking with his friend.

Only since they'd actually met face to face, he noticed that he'd been slightly more distant than he'd realized with Midoriya.

Midoriya hadn't even seen his Quirk in action until the tournament today and they'd been separated for every other major event so far in their high school lives. They hadn't even talked too terribly much until Tokoyami discovered his secret.

"We should do this more often," Tokoyami finally said, filling the silence. "Just sit and talk."

"We really should..." Midoriya replied, a small smile crossing his face.

 **"Isn't this adorable!"**

"Dark Shadow!?"


	33. A Hidden Truth! Top Sixteen Advance!

**Chapter 33 - A Hidden Truth! Top Sixteen Advance!**

Tokoyami wondered idly for the rest of the lunch break why he wasn't receiving any calls from his parents. After his declaration that morning over the phone, he'd expected them to try and contact him at least once. Little did he know that back home, his parents were having their own problems to face.

"I'm worried about him," A female voice stated quietly from her seat by the television, Tokoyami's Mother brushing a strand of hair from her face as she watched the U.A. Sport's Festival from the safety of their own home.

"He's doing fine, honey. Fumikage made the Top Sixteen, that's a big achievement," Tokoyami's Father, the more relaxed of the two, stated from his spot next to her, his hand clutching hers in support.

"I just- You know why this is tough for me," She replied in a hushed tone, glancing around as if someone was listening in.

"And you think it isn't tough on me?" He asked back incredulously. "Honey, we just have to let him be who he was born to be. He was made to be a Hero, he's got a Hero's blood in him and you know that."

The mother snorted bitterly at that, turning away. "A Hero's blood hasn't done Fumikage any good before."

In that moment, an instant reply of the Cavalry Battle began to play on the screen, focusing on Team Midoriya who were charging headfirst into a battle with Team Todoroki. The on-screen version of Tokoyami and Dark Shadow snatched the final headband in a major move, his parents watching once more silently as it happened.

"You see that, that's instinct right there," His father stated proudly.

The woman was silent, staring at the television screen with somber eyes, a sadness welling up deep inside of her as she turned to her husband, eyes shining with tears. "What if he follows in _their_ footsteps?"

The Father froze for a moment at the implications, a flash of doubt passing like a shadow across his features before he shook his head and looked his wife in the eye.

"If that is what Fumikage wants, then I will not stop him. We cannot keep holding him back from his destiny as a Hero, we have no right."

"We have every right. He's our son!" She hissed quietly. "I don't want him to end up in a body-bag like his-" Her voice cut off there, choked sobs erupting from her throat as she felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her.

"He'll be fine. He has his friends to look out for him and keep him safe," He whispered quietly, face pressed against her hair in comfort, holding her close to his chest. "He will be fine."

"Do you promise?" She spluttered, her teary eyes staining his suit with her emotions. "Do you promise that he will be safe?"

"I promise dear, Fumikage will grow up to be a powerful Hero and have a good life." He whispered back.

As the Festival cut to a break, the quiet silence of the Tokoyami household told the rest of the story as they both sat motionless on the sofa, waiting for what was to come. Tokoyami's Father couldn't help the grimace that crossed his features though as his mind went to his son... To the truth that they had yet to tell him.

For there was a dark secret that the pair had kept from their son, one that the Father knew would come out eventually. He only hoped that when they told Tokoyami the truth, he wouldn't think ill of their choice of secrecy.

Some truths were better left covered up.

* * *

"They haven't phoned me once," Tokoyami grumbled irritably from his spot on a bench outside of the Stadium, Shouji sitting beside him with a curious gaze.

As the lunch period had ended, Midoriya and Tokoyami had both wandered back to the school to catch up with the others, Shouji giving him a weird look but saying nothing more. Weirdly enough, all of the girls in the class had gone missing as Iida had told them that they had all gone off in a group together for some sort of project.

So Tokoyami decided to hang around with his closest friend as they waited for the go-ahead to return to the main grounds of the Festival, Tokoyami and Shouji resting a few paces away from the rest of their class on a bench. Although as the wait continued, Tokoyami couldn't help his mind darting towards thoughts of his parents, why they hadn't called him yet.

"Perhaps they're giving you some space to, you know, do your thing," Shouji explained. "You complained about them not seeing your independent side, right?"

"I wish that were the case Shouji, but I know my mother. She should have called me by now." Tokoyami glanced down at his phone, sliding through some of his old texts in the off-chance that he'd simply missed one.

"You know they probably won't kick you out, right?" Shouji deadpanned, one of his arms shifting to a mouth to sidle over to Tokoyami's shoulder. "I know they said they would, but parents... They say a lot of things."

Tokoyami couldn't help but pick up a slight sense of bitterness in Shouji's voice at that, noticing that the taller man's eyes were now focused on the stony floor of the path stretching around the stadium.

"Shouji?" Tokoyami asked quietly.

"I'm just saying, Toko, that you shouldn't take their words at face value. Your parents do love you." Shouji paused for a moment, his melancholic tone trying to find the right words for the situation before he settled on, "Even though I do not agree with their methods or your mother's opinions on you as a Hero, I can see that they're acting from a good place."

Fumikage sighed, leaning forwards to rest his head in his hands. He knew that Shouji was probably right, the taller man had a way with reading situations that even Midoriya had trouble analyzing, and he dearly wanted to believe in his friend's words just for the sense of security that they held. Believing in Shouji's words would ease his heart and mind, yet there was always a chance he was wrong.

He couldn't afford to falter on the chance that Shouji was telling the truth about his parents.

"Unless they tell me themselves, I won't be able to believe that," Tokoyami finally said. "I want, so badly, to believe that they are just testing me, that they don't mean to remove me from U.A or kick me out of my home, but if I start taking their ultimatum as fiction now, I won't have the motivation to finish what I've started today and make it to the top."

"Tokoyami, you don't need that threat hanging over your head like this. It's making you stressed and while you see it as motivation, you could easily get distracted and make a mistake." Shouji was looking at him with that concerned stare.

"I won't make a mistake," He replied tensely, staring down at his hands. "This whole situation just feels like it's out of one of those teen novels," He admitted.

"Well, you do wear all black, act all stoic and have a room that screams edgy and goth," Shouji mused. "Sounds like the perfect set-up for an angsty protagonist who can't let go of his tragic past."

There was a moment of silence after this, Tokoyami processing Shouji's words as realization seemed to dawn across his face.

"Oh god, I have an tragic past," He groaned aloud, flopping backwards against the bench with wild fervent abandon, Shouji watching with that amused crease in his mask that signified he was smiling.

 **"I am that tragic past,"** Dark Shadow chuckled, materializing over Shouji's shoulder to grin at the pair.

"I hate this, I hate everything about this," Tokoyami muttered to himself, resigned to his fate as edgelord protagonist.

He didn't notice the beaming look on Shouji's face as the bird-boy continued to rant about his tragic backstory, the taller boy just glad that he was able to take Tokoyami's mind away from the stress that his parents were inflicting by their threat. He knew it wasn't a permanent solution, but he took pride in knowing he had been able to calm his friend, if even for a moment.

"Hey, you guys, Midnight's getting ready to announce the match-ups!" They heard Sero shout from further away. They quickly jogged over to the rest of the guys, Sero turning to them, a confused look on his face. "Although I dunno where the girls are. Surely they'd want to see who they're against, right?"

"The girls aren't here yet?" Shouji asked as the pair glanced back towards the school where Shouji had said he'd last seen Uraraka.

"Oh, they'll be here soon," An evil voice whispered, Tokoyami's eyes darting to the miniature form that was Mineta. "Trust me, they'll be here veeeery soon."

"Mineta, what did you tell them?" Shouji asked sternly, Mineta jumping back as Shouji's arms formed many eyes to watch him.

Tokoyami wasn't surprised when Kaminari of all people came to Mineta's defense, having pegged the pair as the troublemakers of the class. "He's not done anything, the girls are just getting ready like Aizawa asked them to."

"But Aizawa's been in the Stadium the whole morning. He hasn't even seen us since class." Midoriya chimed in from a few paces away, confused.

"They're clearly lying through their teeth," Tokoyami muttered darkly. "Dark Shadow, grab them until they give us answers."

 **"Aye aye."** Dark Shadow moved to lunge forwards when-

"OKAY OKAY, WE'LL TALK!?" Mineta squealed, leaping back from the shadow.

"Talk." Tokoyami glared daggers at the smaller boy, Shouji shrugging his shoulders and looking away. Mineta was dead.

"W-Well we may have told them that they needed to dress up in cheerleader uniforms... haha..."

"You what?" Midoriya exclaimed nervously.

Kaminari had already backed away far enough that Mineta was left standing alone in the center of the boys, looking scared out of his mind. "I did it for us!" Mineta wailed, the rest of the boys rolling their eyes at his antics.

"And you wonder why I cannot tolerate him," Tokoyami muttered to his taller friend, who was listening via an ear he'd summoned.

"He's not that bad all of the time," Shouji whispered back.

"Hey guys! We're dressed up like teacher asked," A familiar voice called out, the air turning called as they turned to see the girls all walking down towards them, Jirou and Uraraka looking especially uncomfortable, while a floating skirt that they assumed was Hagakure was bobbling around excitedly. Momo looked especially proud as she led the group. "I created these outfits myself!" Momo announced, Tokoyami looking away silently.

How cheerleaders could wear such revealing outfits was beyond him but he sure as hell wasn't comfortable with it. He continued to refuse eye contact while the other boys all had varying reactions, Kaminari and Mineta definitely getting what they wanted as the girls marched past them into the stadium.

It only took a minute before Present Mic had blown the ruse sky high and the girls were angrily chasing Mineta around while Hagakure cheered them on from the sidelines with her loudest cheer.

"The girl's outfits are so..." His voice trailed off, his face reddening.

Tokoyami couldn't pass up an opportunity like this, sidling up to his friend before calmly stating, "So what... Midoriya?"

The green haired boy jumped at Tokoyami's sudden appearance, leaping backwards a few feet before realizing it was just Tokoyami, who couldn't help the slight chuckle that left his beak.

"You were listening to that?" Midoriya groaned.

"You didn't answer my question." Tokoyami's eyes narrowed, staring straight at Midoriya's own, his face reddening as Tokoyami waited for the boy to answer.

"Oh look, it's starting-" Midoriya stammered, darting past the bird boy before Tokoyami had a chance to stop him. He noticed Shouji approaching silently from behind, an amused look in his eyes.

"You keep that up and he'll die of embarrassment, you know," Shouji said.

"That's the plan," Tokoyami stated coolly. "He's too easy to tease."

"But you like that about him, right?" Shouji asked curiously.

"I guess." Tokoyami glanced over to where Midnight was taking her spot by the stage. "He's charming when flustered."

Now that was certainly something he didn't mean to say aloud, Shouji giving him a look that said they were talking about this later, Tokoyami feeling his feathers bristle at the sudden embarrassment that had just been thrown on him. Had he actually just said that out loud, in front of his best friend of all people?

He tried to focus on Midnight in an attempt to distract himself, to some success. She had already begun talking about the Final Sixteen, but apparently Ojiro had decided not to participate and they had taken two of Class 1-B's students as substitutes.

"Alright, your first match's have been randomly assigned. Check out the board for your first fight in our head to head tournament!" Midnight announced with a lascivious grin.

Tokoyami glanced up, the tension of the Sport's Festival returning in full force as he scoured the board for the match-ups. Midoriya was against someone called Shinso, Sero was facing Todoroki... No... No...

And then he saw his name.

"I'm facing Momo?" He muttered quietly, his eyes instinctively glancing around to see his opponent. She was a few paces away, her eyes meeting his own with a fierce look in her eyes.

She walked towards him, holding a hand out. "It seems we'll be facing each other. If you remember the day on the tree, I said I would give it my all."

Tokoyami took her hand, nodding. "Likewise, I do not intend to lose our match. I refuse to hold back."

The cold declaration of a good fight now hanging in the air, Momo turned away to check in with the other 1-A girls, leaving Tokoyami with a lot to think about.

"I think I'll leave you to your thoughts," Shouji announced casually. "While I would **love** to grill you about your comment earlier, I promised Kouda I'd help him out with the ball rolling race."

"Heh, you do that. I need some time to myself anyway," Tokoyami nodded, grateful that he'd at least be able to avoid one awkward conversation that day.

"Just don't overthink it. You've got a tough opponent."

Tokoyami watched as everyone began to disperse, deciding to head back out of the stadium before anyone could see him leave. He needed some time to rest and prepare. They'd begin in an hour, after all the smaller activities were finished, so with that in mind he exited the stadium, watching as a few spectators that were buying snacks looked at him with excited faces.

A little boy even waved at him.

He hopped into the forest behind the stadium, taking off into the nearest tree. While it wasn't as comfortable as the tree near the school, being in the dense foliage of the forest had a nostalgic tinge to it. Given he trained for most of his life with his teacher, Airdriver, in the forest near his home, he felt quite at peace among the branches and the leaves.

 **"So you have any strategies for Momo?"** Dark Shadow asked, popping out to rest on his shoulder.

"None yet... She's unaware of our weakness so she probably won't know to cast light on us, which gives us an edge..." He folded his arms, closing his eyes, attempting to visualize his future battle.

 **"What about her Quirk?"**

"She creates things from her body. It's a useful Quirk, to be sure. Though it does take a few moments for her to actually create anything."

Dark Shadow shifted slightly, his mind deep in thought with Tokoyami's own. They both knew that they needed to pull off a win and anything would help against Momo, who was let in to the school on recommendations.

 **"You think I'd be fast enough to knock her back before she can attack?"**

"Overwhelming her without her being able to react could work. Perhaps knocking her out of bounds?"

 **"We've got this, Fumikage. She can't beat me."**

"Heh... That's some confidence you've got, Dark Shadow..."

And as the pair continued to silently think of strategies to beat Momo, not once did their thoughts go to their parents, the threat nor anything that had been causing them stress. In that moment, they were calm and collected, a student and his Quirk, wondering how they'd get past their next opponent.


	34. Ashido's Threat? Inner Feelings?

**Chapter 34 - Ashido's Threat!? Inner Feelings!?**

The leisure hour ended sooner than Tokoyami would have liked, the boy slipping back into the Stadium a few minutes before the first few matches were to start. Apparently Class 1-A had their own seating in the stands where they would be able to relax and watch the other battles, Tokoyami quickly climbing the stairs to make his way there for the first fight.

He wasn't going to miss Midoriya's battle for the world, not after everything the pair had gone through together that day.

He emerged onto their seating, noticing that most of the class was already there and waiting, Shouji, Kouda and Uraraka all bunched together looking down eagerly at the stadium for any sign of their classmate.

He quickly slipped into a seat next to Shouji, muttering a quiet, "What's up?"

It seemed everyone he greeted that day was destined to jump, Shouji looking genuinely surprised for once as the taller boy noticed the smaller bird-headed boy next to him.

"Did I scare you?" Tokoyami asked smugly.

"Hardly," Shouji retorted weakly. He clearly wasn't expecting it.

"It's Midoriya up first right? Who's he facing?" He asked quietly, Dark Shadow emerging to lean on Shouji's shoulder, the taller boy giving the Shadow a side-eyed glance, though Dark Shadow just gave a small wave back to silver-haired man.

"He's facing Shinso from the General Course," They heard someone say, Tokoyami looking back to see Ojiro looking out at the Stadium, concerned.

"Shinso?" Uraraka asked quietly.

"That's right," Ojiro continued. "This guy, his Quirk is something else. I tried to warn Midoriya in advance but I don't know whether he'll listen or not..."

"His Quirk?" Tokoyami asked, the excited air turning colder as he realized there was something wrong here.

"Shinso... He..." Ojiro looked down at his knees, scrunching his fists up as he explained, "If you answer a question of his, he can brainwash you."

"He can what?" Shouji asked, clearly surprised, the taller boy whirling around so quickly that Dark Shadow was knocked off of his perch on his shoulder, Tokoyami's Quirk grumbling in annoyance.

Ojiro shrugged. "It's as I said. Midoriya can't talk to him or it's game over."

"But you warned Midoriya right, so we shouldn't have to worry," Uraraka said, her voice betraying the worry she was feeling at this sudden revelation.

Their small portion of the stands certainly grew more tense as they all glanced back towards the stadium, a deep pit of worry beginning to shift in Tokoyami's stomach as he thought about Midoriya's chances. Brainwashing was just some fancy science fiction term, he didn't think it was real, but Ojiro had no reason to lie and if something like that were the case, he knew his friend would need to be extremely careful.

"The first match!" Suddenly flames began to erupt from the torches around the stadium, Present Mic's voice booming as everyone eyes shifted to the ring. For there, two people were walking out onto the field. "Making a weird face despite his excellent performance, it's Izuku Midoriya, from the Hero Course!"

"He's nervous, isn't he," Uraraka groaned.

"He certainly looks unwell," Iida added.

"It's probably because I put too much pressure on him. I asked him to win for me," Ojiro admitted, the sandy haired boy looking away awkwardly.

"That's not it," Tokoyami muttered quietly to himself, Shouji the only person who could hear him. "He's carrying a legacy on his back, he has a lot riding on this."

"You think All Might would be upset if he lost here?" Shouji whispered silently, Tokoyami nodding gravely. "We better hope Ojiro's warnings are enough to keep him safe."

That was when Present Mic continued to introduce the other combatant. "Versus... Sorry, but this guy hasn't really done anything to stand out yet! It's Hitoshi Shinso, from General Studies!" Purple hair and a dark demeanor, Tokoyami had picked that guy out from the crowd at the start of the Festival, but only now was he beginning to realize how dangerous this would be.

 **"If only he knew..."** Dark Shadow growled. **"I don't like that guy. If he beats Midoriya..."**

"You've grown quite attached to Midoriya, haven't you Dark Shadow," Shouji said out of the blue, a sly grin on the mouth he was chatting with.

 **"I like Midoriya,"** The Quirk grumbled. **"He's better than this guy."**

"For once, we agree on something," Tokoyami muttered.

"The rules are simple!" Midnight began, her voice echoing through the stadium. "Win by knocking your opponent out of the ring, immobilizing them or getting them to surrender. Bring the Pain! We've got our good old Recovery Girl on standby!" He could tell just from her voice how much she was enjoying this and it certainly made him feel uncomfortable. "And fight dirty if you must! 'Ethics' have no meaning here!"

Tokoyami couldn't help but cringe at that, given what Shinso's Quirk was, there was no ethics involved in controlling a person's free-will.

"Well, of course, going for the kill is a no-no! You'll be disqualified! Because a true hero's fists only fly when in pursuit of villains!"

That was when Tokoyami eyes went to Midoriya's opponent. Shinso definitely seemed to be saying something, although what he couldn't tell. But by the look on Midoriya's face, it was bothering the Hero.

"Ready?" Present Mic asked, the two boys on the field clearly in their own world as Shinso continued to speak when... "START!"

While they couldn't hear everything the two boys were saying, Tokoyami's breathing hitched as Midoriya took a step forwards, his mouth opening to shout out an angry, "What'd you say?!"

And in that moment, Tokoyami thought he could see the usual glimmer in Midoriya's eyes fade out of existence, his blood running cold as Ojiro screamed out loudly. "Damnit Midoriya. I warned you!"

"Deku...!?" Uraraka muttered fearfully under her breath, Iida gritting his teeth nearby in worry as well.

Tokoyami could tell from one look at his close friend, from the way his movements turned sluggish and the emptiness in his expression, Midoriya had been taken under Shinso's control.

"Is there no way he can break out from Shinso's control?" Shouji asked, whipping back to Ojiro who was sitting behind them with a panicked expression.

The blonde haired boy could only stutter unsurely in response. "I mean, back in the Cavalry Battle I was knocked back to consciousness after I had contact with Team Tetsutetsu," He explained, eyes still trained on the battle below.

"Whoa! Midoriya's following Shinso's orders to walk out of the ring!" Present Mic bellowed, the class once again pressing all their attention onto Midoriya, who was now slowly stumbling towards the edge of the ring without a second thought.

 **"It can't end so quickly like this?"** Dark Shadow growled in irritation. **"Can't we go down there and smack him ourselves?"**

Tokoyami side-eyed his Quirk with a stern look that suggested no way in hell. But at the same time, Tokoyami admittedly wanted to go down there himself. If Midoriya wasn't able to find a way to break the control on him, he'd be toast. Could Midoriya's Quirk be beaten by such a simple trick as mind control?

"He's only a few steps away," Uraraka cried out.

While his classmates all began to look desperately in fear, he felt like he was the only one completely in control of his emotions, watching Midoriya take step after step towards the edge of the ring. He wasn't sure why he wasn't panicking like the others, but he couldn't help the feeling in the pit of his stomach that there was more to this than meets the eye.

If anyone would be able to snap out of a brain-washing Quirk, it would be Midoriya.

Little did he know at the final step, as Midoriya's leg was lifting to step out of bounds, that was when a sudden gust of energy burst from underneath Midoriya.

"What the-" He heard one of his classmates say in surprise, Tokoyami's gaze instantly darting to Midoriya's eyes.

"Nothing to worry about," He sighed, settling back into his seat to watch the fight. Shouji turned to him, a confused look in his expression, but Tokoyami just pointed towards Midoriya's frozen form. "The light in his eyes is back."

Tokoyami didn't know why he believed in Midoriya making a come-back during that battle, even when Uraraka, who was arguably Deku's biggest supporter, had lost hope. But for whatever reason, his faith never wavered on his friend, and watching Midoriya take the battle back into his own hands was satisfying.

That was when Tokoyami noticed Izuku's finger.

"So that's how he did it..." He muttered quietly. "The force of One for All from his finger must have shocked him out of his state of mind control. Clever Midoriya, although having the willpower to exert that force against a Quirk built to strip of your thought..."

"You're turning into Midoriya yourself," Shouji muttered, Tokoyami blinking before turning to his friend, who was watching him bemused. "You almost went Midoriya levels of muttering there."

The slight red flush underneath his feathers was enough for Tokoyami to turn away awkwardly, the taller boy giving a hearty laugh towards his friend.

"So you're sure he's not charming?" Shouji asked, just loudly enough for Uraraka to hear.

"Who's not charming?" She asked, butting into their conversation as they watched Deku flip Shinso out of the ring.

Tokoyami groaned loudly, giving Shouji his best aggravated look, but the taller boy was clearly unphased, stating, "He said earlier he thought Midoriya was charming."

At this, her face lit up with a devilish grin, Uraraka sidling over to Shouji before stating, "Well during the Cavalry Battle he told me Midoriya was like a 9 on the adorable scale."

"I hate you both," He grumbled aloud.

"But you don't hate Midoriya," A sing-song voice whispered from beside him, Tokoyami jumping a few moments as the familiar pink-toned Ashido weeded her way into view.

 _"This just isn't my day,"_ He thought to himself, Dark Shadow chuckling from beside him at his host's embarrassment.

Shouji then proceeded to place a hand on his shoulder. "We're only teasing Toko. I'll admit, I'm curious, but we're all friends here."

"You of all people should know I'm not one to talk openly about this sort of thing, Shouji," Tokoyami finally stated, glancing to Ashido, then to Uraraka. "Midoriya should be here soon, you might want to pester him, not me."

With a frown on her face and her hands at her hips, Ashido grimaced at Tokoyami. "Hmph, if you beat Momo and I beat Aoyama, I'll knock you down for ignoring me."

 **"He could beat you with his eyes closed,"** Dark Shadow growled lowly, wrapping around his host protectively.

"Did he just...?" Ashido's eyes were mad, glaring at the yellow pinpricks of Dark Shadow's own.

"I think he just did," Shouji deadpanned, glancing to the pink haired girl with one of his fiercest looks.

"Fine, I'll prove it to you later, but you won't get past Momo!" Sticking her tongue out as she turned away, Ashido stalked off, Uraraka giving off a nervous laugh at her friend's antics.

"She can be a bit much sometimes, but she's nice behind it all," The brunette laughed weakly, Tokoyami returning to watching the ring.

They were preparing for Sero versus Todoroki, but soon enough, a few minutes before the match was to begin, a familiar face came into view, Midoriya practically running out of the stairwell to see his friends.

"Did I miss anything?" Midoriya asked, breathing heavily as he approached the group.

"Tokoyami's stunted emotions," Ashido screamed from the other side of the stands, the boy in question sending her another glare.

Midoriya sat down next to Tokoyami, Shouji and Uraraka, Dark Shadow instantly moving over to greet the boy. "What was that about?" He asked as he smiled at Dark Shadow.

"Nothing important," Tokoyami said, perhaps a little too quickly, for Midoriya's eyes were already furrowed in suspicion.

"It's not about you know what, right?" He whispered, once Uraraka was sufficiently distracted by Tsuyu, who was pointing out people's Quirks in the stands.

"Not important," Tokoyami repeated, trying to get the irritation through with his tone. "Midoriya, we should be more concerned with you. You almost got yourself eliminated."

"You had most of us worried," Shouji explained. "Toko here seemed pretty calm though. I think he knew you'd be able to charm your way out of that mind control."

Tokoyami almost choked on thin air at that, praying that Midoriya hadn't noticed his reaction to Shouji's extremely not-subtle reference to their last conversation. He almost regretted defending the taller boy during their day out the afternoon Midoriya had told him about One for All from Uraraka's personal questions. Almost.

"Well I don't know about charming, but my finger kind of moved on it's own." Midoriya explained awkwardly. Then in a quiet whisper, "According to All Might that was my willpower showing through."

"You've got the power of the Number One Hero flowing through you, if anyone could have pulled that off, it was you," Tokoyami explained, shifting his gaze to the boy next to him, who was looking away awkwardly with embarrassment regarding the praise.

Tokoyami noticed the look Shouji was giving him as Midoriya looked down into his bag, grabbing what looked to be a notepad and a pen. Shouji had one of his eyes fixated on the object, the other continuing to give Tokoyami that teasing best friend look that he was definitely coming to hate over the last five minutes.

"I-I need to make some notes," Midoriya muttered quietly, regressing back into his seat as he began to scribble down words into the notepad.

Tokoyami's eyes lingered on the boy as he began to furiously write down notes about what seemed to be Shinso's Quirk. It seemed that he was intently documenting everything that had happened as some sort of improvement scheme, but Tokoyami found himself less drawn to the words and more to the rather intense expression on his friend's face. Midoriya's eyes were set sharply against the paper and the slight bite of his bottom lip as he chewed over his notes had caught the bird's eye.

 **"You're hopeless,"** Dark Shadow thought loudly, snapping Tokoyami's focus from his study of his friend's face, to his Quirk who was now lounging across the stand behind Midoriya's shoulder, yellow pinpricks giving him the exact look Shouji had been giving for the past five minutes. **"You liiiiike him."**

 _"He is my close friend and nothing more, Dark Shadow. You, of all people, should be aware of that,"_ He thought back to his Quirk, irritated that they were getting distracted by this whole thing with Midoriya when he had a fight soon.

 **"I'm aware of a lot of things, Fumikage,"** Dark Shadow said in a singsong voice. **"Like how we tend to like the same things."**

Dark Shadow twisted away from Midoriya towards his host, curling up beside his neck, a grin on his face. "Like what?" Tokoyami hissed quietly enough that nobody could hear them.

 **"Shouji and Midoriya, duh,"** Dark Shadow replied nonchalantly.

"They're my friends," He repeated lowly. "I think you're confusing feelings given we've barely interacted with people since we were young."

 **"Eh, either way you do like their company. But seriously Fumikage, you were staring at him and his notes for too long."**

"Are you actually trying to give me advice right now?" Tokoyamu grumbled to his Quirk. "What has the world come to?"

Suddenly, completely unexpectedly, there was an explosion of wind, a powerful gust causing Tokoyami to snap his head towards the stadium, his feathers all messed up from the sudden nature of it all.

"That was overkill," He heard a voice mutter from beside him, his red eyes turning to Shouji who was now muttering to himself.

And he couldn't help but agree. Because the sudden appearance of a massive iceberg within the center of the stadium, with Sero frozen in place at the apex, was enough to cause Tokoyami's breath to hitch from the sudden drop in temperature.

Standing in the center of the stadium, unphased by the devastation, was Todoroki.

The boy looked apologetically towards Sero, but as his eyes drifted away from the tape-wielding Hero, they hardened and whatever emotions he thought he could see were lost behind the eyes of a very troubled individual.

"So I'm facing Todoroki then," Midoriya muttered quietly to himself, somewhat unphased by Todoroki's sheer display of power.

"Given what he just did, you're awfully calm, Midoriya," Tokoyami muttered.

The green haired Hero turned to his friend, a rather perplexed look on his face. "I guess you could say that. Todoroki, he..." Midoriya turned away for a moment, as if contemplating his next words with extreme care. "Well... He talked with me this lunch, before I met up with you."

"He did?" Tokoyami asked, the bird boy's curiosity piqued. "What about?"

"Quirk Marriages..." His friend replied silently.

"I've heard about those," He mused quietly. "When two parents marry and have a child for the sake of a stronger Quirk, right?"

"Mhm, have a guess as to why he told me," Midoriya chuckled bitterly.

"You mean he comes from a Quirk Marriage?" Tokoyami asked curiously, thinking it over. It definitely made sense, given the whole fire and ice motif. Todoroki was an extremely powerful opponent, but Endeavor was only the fire side of Todoroki. He wondered where the ice had come from.

"That's not even the worst of it," Midoriya mumbled. "His Dad... He raised him to beat All Might. So he has to beat me."

"He what?!" Tokoyami hissed, genuinely surprised.

"But I'm going to help Todoroki. I don't know how just yet, but I will. He's not his father and I'm not All Might." Midoriya turned to look at the disintegrating formation of ice in front of them, flecks of cold ice dripping down towards the stands. "But he's pretty strong huh. I probably won't be able to beat him without going full power."

"Does he even want your help though, Midoriya?" He asked in a concerning tone.

Izuku shrugged, giving Tokoyami the faintest of smiles. "Being a Hero isn't about whether people want my help. Being a Hero is all about helping even when people don't ask. It's not like I want gratitude or anything, but if I can help Todoroki, then I want to."

 **"This world is too pure for Izuku Midoriya,"** Dark Shadow bawled next to the pair.

"That is why I wanted to help you during the Obstacle Course," Shouji muttered as well from beside the pair, Midoriya turning to the taller boy with a startled look. "That selfless nature is what makes a Hero according to All Might and the teachers, right? I've not always been the most accepted because of my looks, but I've always believed that by being selfless in my actions, I can make the world a better place."

"Shouji...?" Tokoyami asked quietly, watching as his friend turned away again. "I didn't realize he supported you during the Obstacle Course..."

"Yeah..." Midoriya muttered. "What do you mean about your looks Shouji?" Midoriya then asked curiously.

"Perhaps one day I'll tell you," The taller boy replied, Tokoyami suddenly recalling a similar situation he had with the taller boy a while ago about what was under his mask. One day he'd tell him, that was what he'd said.

"It's to do with your mask, isn't it." Izuku was rather forthright as he said it, Shouji watching him from the corner of his eye.

"It is."

That was all Shouji said before turning fully back to the next battle that was about to occur.

"Fate can be so complicated sometimes..." He muttered to himself as his mind drifted to the many stories going on around him.

Stories that he wished he could see the endings of.


	35. Defying Creation? Tokoyami's First Batt

**Chapter 35 - Defying Creation!? Tokoyami's First Battle!?**

As it turns out, Midoriya's note-taking skills were a little bit more terrifying than Tokoyami had first realized. He only noticed as Iida stepped out onto the stage against Hatsume that Midoriya had taken out multiple notebooks and seemed to be looking through them all for something important. A few moments later, almost four pages worth of notes about Iida, his Quirk, his personality and more were laid bare for Tokoyami to look at as Midoriya began scribbling more information down.

He almost wanted to see what Midoriya had written down about him. Almost.

"Well, I'm off," Ashido called out to the group, her eyes lingering on Tokoyami fiercely. "See you guys when I beat Aoyama!"

The pink-skinned girl strode off with a confident gait, hopping down the stairs and out of sight pretty quickly, leaving the rest of the class to their conversations.

"She seems confident," Kirishima exclaimed. "That's our Ashido!"

"She can handle anything!" Kaminari nodded along with him.

"I do hope Ashido can bring a victory for us girls," Momo muttered thoughtfully.

"But what about Aoyama?" Tsuyu's low tones chimed in, the frog-girl staring at the trio who had just spoke.

Momo seemed surprised for a moment, before rectifying her thoughts with a, "Of course I am hoping for Aoyama's success as well..."

"Hey, you can't root for both people!" Kaminari groaned loudly.

As Kaminari began to explain the finer details about rooting for a team, Tokoyami took the argument as a chance to glance over at his future opponent.

Momo was watching the blonde-haired electricity wielder with a look of surprising disinterest, or perhaps he figured she was simply not paying much attention at all. Her lips were clamped shut and there was something in her dazed look that suggested she was thinking extremely deeply. He knew she was quite in her own head and he could relate. His instincts weren't always the sharpest, his teacher had taught him that time and time again, but he definitely knew the look of someone who was thinking too much.

But letting such thoughts cloud his mind before a battle, he couldn't go in cocky or confident. He had to advance to show the world, to show his parents, what he was capable of.

And because Midoriya had made it to Round Two and he wasn't going to let his friend stride too far ahead of him.

"T-Tokoyami?" He heard Midoriya's voice call out, the bird boy blinking as he realized he too had spaced out with his thoughts. Midoriya was watching him with that classic Midoriya look of slightly nervous, yet still super smiley and awkward. "Your battle's starting soon right, although I didn't mean to interrupt you if you were preparing mentally but since Ashido and Aoyama are fighting soon, I thought you'd want to know..." Midoriya began to trail off into silence as Tokoyami continued to just stare at the boy, the green-haired boy rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

Tokoyami could have sworn he could see Shouji rolling his eyes from behind the pair.

"Thank you for the warning, Midoriya, I'm glad to have someone so astute as you remind me," He replied curtly, his beak curling ever so slightly into a smile.

The slight pink tint on Midoriya's cheeks from the compliment was enough to make the boy's heart soar in his chest, though he'd never admit it at the time. If there was one thing he was sure he enjoyed about Izuku Midoriya, it was that the boy had the best reactions to compliments, although there was a slight sadness to it since that eager modesty of the boy's was very reminiscent of someone without a lot of self-confidence.

"N-No problem," Midoriya stammered back finally, giving the boy a small smile.

"You should get going Toko, it looks like Aoyama and Ashido are about to fight," Shouji said quickly, a hand pointing down to the fighting stage where the pink-skinned girl and the twinkling boy were both beginning to emerge.

"Wish me luck," He grinned, standing up quickly. With a small nod to his friends, he headed off, Midoriya and Shouji wishing him good luck. He could see Momo leaving her own group as well, running to catch up with him as they went down the first flight off stairs.

"So this is it," Tokoyami muttered when she was within earshot.

"Indeed it is. I did not wish to face you so early, Tokoyami, but I am ready for you," Momo said, voice confident. When she was ready to battle, she was almost like a different person, like she held a presence that was hard to ignore.

Tokoyami shrugged. "I look forward to our bout. But I meant what I said last week in the tree, we've all got something to prove and I will not be backing down." The conviction in his words as they reached the next floor down seemed to surprise Momo for a second, her expression briefly surprised before a small smile formed.

"I would not expect anything less," She stated quietly as they descended the final flight of stairs to reach the ground floor. As they both began to turn in opposite directions to head to the waiting rooms for their battle, Momo turned to the boy, offering out a hand. "May the best student win?" She asked.

"May the best student win," He stated, clasping his hand against hers in a handshake of solidarity. He could feel Dark Shadow surging inside, raring for some sort of fight, and he couldn't deny that euphoria of battle was getting him ready to go.

With his confidence at an all time high, he bid her goodbye and set off for his waiting room, ready to meet Momo on the battlefield.

* * *

Midoriya's thoughts were muddled as he watched Ashido and Aoyama fighting. While his eyes were intently staring at the match, watching as Ashido used her acid to skate across the field, his mind was dwelling on things beyond the fight. How would Tokoyami fare in his match against Momo, how would he fare in his match against Todoroki and whether he should tell All Might about his secret getting out.

Though he hadn't mentioned it to Shouji or Tokoyami, the fact that they were now aware of One for All was a pretty big deal and Midoriya was certain he couldn't keep it from All Might forever. It didn't help that the class had been betting on his connection to All Might from behind his back, which was also something he felt he needed to tell his tutor.

But as Ashido slammed her first into Aoyama, knocking the poor boy to the ground in one fell swoop, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You're not taking any notes," Shouji's calm voice stated, the taller boy peering down at him.

Of course the guy who could duplicate body parts to enhance his senses would be the most perceptive when it came to people's mannerisms. Sure, Midoriya was the most astute at perceiving information in the class, but he was surprised at how quick some of the other students were when it came to each other.

"R-Right, I should make some," Midoriya stammered nervously, embarrassed at having been caught with his mind wandering. He began to scribble half-hearted notes, hoping the taller boy would look away.

But for whatever reason Shouji was still staring straight at him with that poker face of his.

"Do you need something?" Midoriya finally asked, setting his pencil down.

"I don't need anything," Shouji replied gruffly. "You, on the other hand..." The taller boy trailed off, his arms crossed as Midoriya turned away awkwardly. Shouji took this opportunity to quietly move one of his back arms towards the boy's shoulder, forming it into a mouth to whisper, "What is bothering you?"

"Nothing is bothering me," Midoriya replied mechanically, Shouji seeing right through the ruse. "I'm just stressed over things," He finally relented.

"Things like...?"

Midoriya turned to face the muscular boy again, his face more defeated than before. "I'm keeping a lot of secrets from All Might," He finally stated. "You and Tokoyami being aware of One for All is kinda a big deal."

"Then tell him. It's not your fault that we found out. Toko guessed and I overheard, you couldn't have done anything differently." Shouji looked away from Midoriya to the field for a moment, glancing towards where the teachers were all gathered. "How about we come with you when you explain it?"

"You really don't have t-"

"Midoriya." Shouji's voice was firm. "If we don't go with you, All Might will seek us out anyway. It is best that we get this over with and remove that burden from your mind."

"That's not just it though," Midoriya replied, feeling more open about his feelings as he realized something deep down. "When I told Kacchan... All Might said not to tell another soul. But I broke that promise." He felt a tenseness in his voice as he said this, realizing that he was both feeling shame and fear at the thought of revealing this to his mentor.

"Midoriya, I may not be the most wise person around, but even I know that everyone has broken at least one promise in their life," Shouji explained bluntly. "For example, I promised Tokoyami that I wouldn't tell anyone else that he's actually quite clingy during horror movies."

"Shouji, you can't just do that!?" Midoriya gasped, eyes widening. "What if Tokoyami finds ou-"

"And by clingy, I don't mean he's scared. But he likes having people around while watching the movies, something about keeping Dark Shadow comfortable."

"Shouji!?"

"Do you see my point, Midoriya?" Shouji finally asked, the startled smaller boy pausing in surprise. "We're all human and we all make mistakes. You're a teenager and you have to make mistakes to learn and grow from them, right?"

"But telling you about One for All is a pretty big mistake!?"

Shouji chuckled at that. "If you felt it was a big mistake, you wouldn't have told Toko. You had an entire night to plan a lie or a ruse, but you told him. You needed someone to confide and vent to."

"That's-"

Shouji unfolded his arms and gestured to the field. "We'll continue this soon. Toko's about to fight."

"Huh, you can't just stop the conversation there!" Midoriya exclaimed silently, Shouji turning away to end their chat.

Shouji certainly made good points, but...

Midoriya grumbled quietly to himself. This wasn't the time, focus on the stadium, focus on the battles. Focus on his friends who were about to battle for a place in the Top 8.

* * *

"For our next battle, introducing the girl who holds power over creation, one of two students accepted via recommendations and she shows it, it's Momo Yaoyorozu of the Hero Course!"

Present Mic's voice boomed loudly as Momo emerged from the dark corridor leading to the stadium, the mature girl stepping up to the battlefield with a confident, steely gaze.

"And her opponent, the shadow that moves in the darkness, the mysterious feathered aura of one of the Top 10 students of our Entrance Exams, who single handedly brought Team Midoriya to the final sixteen, it's Fumikage Tokoyami, also of the Hero Course!"

Tokoyami stepped out from the darkness, Dark Shadow trailing around his left side as he walked. the crowds were cheering loudly, but all he could think about was the girl who was his opponent. And though he couldn't see them, he knew that everyone he cared about was watching. His parents, Shouji, Midoriya and the rest of the class, especially Ashido who had declared she would defeat him.

"Dark Shadow," He whispered as they stepped up to the battlefield. "This fight will be over in a matter of seconds if our strategy holds true."

 **"Hmph, you think I can't handle the pressure?"** His Quirk teased jovially, the dark avian creature watching Tokoyami with his steely yellow eyes.

"If we allow her the chance to create something, be prepared for an onslaught, that's all I'm saying," He said calmly, watching as Midnight explained the rules to the pair of them from her podium.

And then he could hear the countdown in the Stadium, everyone counting down the seconds to the start of the match. He had to win this, he couldn't falter here.

"Start!"

Wordlessly, Dark Shadow dashed forwards towards their opponent in an instant, Tokoyami holding his position like they had practiced in the waiting room. It was a very simple strategy he had in mind. Overwhelm Momo before she had time to create a weapon of attack with a constant barrage of strikes. Of course, each strike needed to be precise otherwise the strategy would fail.

He could see Momo's flash of shock as Dark Shadow sped towards her in an instant, closing the gap between the pair as she attempted to summon a shield to block his attack.

Dark Shadow connected with a large crack, his claws scraping across Momo's shield, the girl sliding backwards in an effort to avoid Tokoyami's Quirk.

"Don't let up!" He thought to his Quirk tensely, his eyes watching Momo's feet as she scrambled to create something else.

 **"Not a chance!"** Dark Shadow replied aggressively, slamming into another shield that Momo had created, the dark haired girl being pushed back further. But now Dark Shadow was beginning to stretch their connection thin, almost at maximum range from his host. This next hit had to do it or they'd be facing down a brutal counterattack.

Dark Shadow's final slice was hard, full of force as Momo stumbled back yet again, stumbling back towards the edge of the ring and then...

It was a ring out. No fanfare, no shock comeback, nothing. Momo simply stepped one spot outside of the arena as she began to summon a lead pipe, only for Midnight to chime in and reveal the truth.

"And just like that, in a flash, Fumikage Tokoyami has proven victorious! What a tag team he had with his Quirk!" Present Mic roared loudly, the crowd cheering.

"By using his Quirk's reach and strength, he was able to counter Yaoyorozu's attempts at creating a weapon. His instincts were sharper and lead to his victory," Aizawa drawled afterwards, although Tokoyami could have sworn he'd heard just a small hint of pride in his teacher's voice.

And across the city, his parents were sitting at home, both proud and conflicted as they watched their son continue to rise in the ranks of the country's most popular festival.

* * *

Tokoyami quickly made his way back towards the waiting rooms after the fight, wanting to catch up with Momo at some point to congratulate her on a well fought bout, however he was stopped when a familiar brunette girl bumped into him, turning a corner.

"Ah, Tokoyami?" He heard a voice call out in surprise.

"Uraraka, I apologize," He began to stammer, though she cut him off quite quickly.

"N-no, it's fine. I wasn't watching where I was going, that's all," She laughed nervously, her eyes glancing to the waiting room behind Tokoyami. "I have to get ready for my match, if you'll excuse me," She muttered, slipping past him before he could reply.

She seemed off though, that much was pretty clear, though given who she was battling, he couldn't help the feeling of nervousness spreading through his bones.

But it was her fight. Leaving her to her thoughts, Tokoyami took off towards the main stairwell, hoping to find Momo, only to be blocked by a rather worried looking Iida and Midoriya, the pair rushing down the stairs, almost knocking the poor bird backwards.

 **"Watch where you're going!?"** Dark Shadow growled in the dim light of the stairwell, the shadow forming to give Midoriya an irritated scowl, the green haired boy looking even more apologetic than Uraraka had a few moments prior.

"S-Sorry!? Great job out there Tsuku!" Midoriya shouted back, having already ran down the rest of the stairs to the ground floor with Iida.

"She's in the waiting room," He called out calmly, wondering if he was right about their destination.

"Thank you!" He heard a faint reply, before the pair were gone around the corner.

 **"Talk about no manners,"** Dark Shadow grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes at the direction the pair had vanished in.

Tokoyami cocked his head, turning to his Quirk with a disapproving look. "Coming from you, Dark Shadow."

The Quirk was silent after that, Tokoyami beginning his ascent back to his class's stands in an attempt to hopefully find Yaomomo.

He emerged into their section of seats to a few cheers from some of the guys, Kirishima, Kaminari and Sero all giving Tokoyami positive looks. He glanced around, noticing Shouji was still seated in the same spot, apparently looking through a small notebook that he was sure belonged to Midoriya.

He noticed a crowd of the girls, Tsuyu, Ashido and Hagakure, all crowded around his target, a rather disheartened looking Momo.

"Yaoyorozu," He announced, clearing his throat awkwardly as the attention turned towards him, Ashido glaring at him with a stare that could melt steel. Momo glanced up at him, her sadness being tucked away as she attempted to show a friendly smile towards him.

But one look at her eyes told him the whole story. She was ashamed.

"I wanted to commend you on a good battle," Tokoyami stated quietly.

He heard Tsuyu croak in what sounded like an agreement, Momo giving him a curt nod, but nothing more. It was clear he wasn't going to get anything else out of her, but he had no choice. One of them had to come back a loser and it wasn't going to be him.

He took his seat next to Shouji carefully, glancing over at the book his friend was reading, as he noticed Kouda sidling over towards the pair.

"You did so good Tokoyami," Kouda said gleefully, his quiet voice bringing Shouji out of his reading to glance at the pair.

"You were prepared. Nothing to worry about," Shouji explained casually, placing the notebook he was reading back down into Midoriya's backpack. "It is a shame for Momo..."

"I feel kinda bad," Tokoyami admitted, looking at his hands, then back to the pair. "She had a lot to live up to, being a recommendation to our course, and being one of the top scorers in our tests. I think I embarrassed her with my strategy."

 **"Not your fault,"** Dark Shadow whispered quickly.

He noticed Kouda shrink away ever so slightly at the Quirk's appearance, reminded that Kouda was still one of the few to see Dark Shadow during his rare moments of weakness. It also reminded him that not only did he need to chat with his parents after this, but his Quirk had promised a chat as well after the tournament. Suddenly, he felt like there was a lot more to worry about than Momo.

"Ashido seems upset," Kouda finally stated, eyes darting to the pink-haired girl who was fuming, while trying to comfort the poor over-achiever.

"And I have to fight her next," Tokoyami stated coolly. "That will be quite the bout, I'm sure."

It was at that moment when Midoriya and Iida re-appeared, the pair breathing heavily as they emerged into the stands. "Did we miss the start?" Midoriya asked, breathing heavily.

"You're right on time," Shouji replied, one of his arms pointing towards the battlefield.

For there, emerging from the tunnels, Ochako Uraraka and Katsuki Bakugou stepped on to the battlefield.

* * *

 **So uh, this fic has 10,000 views on and over 5,000 hits on AO3. That's kind of insane given this whole story is just me writing ideas from my head for these characters into reality.**

 **I'm really honoured you guys have all taken the time to read over the story! I don't update as much as I'd like, I'm quite busy as a content creator by day, but I love writing and if there's a fic I want to finish one day, this would be the one. I mean, it's already over 120,000 words long. Can't get more dedicated than that!**


	36. Heartbreaking Battle! Midoriya's Notes!

**Chapter 36 - A Heartbreaking Battle! Midoriya's Notes!**

Tokoyami's eyes were trained on the battlefield ahead of him, eyes darting from Uraraka's quiet confident form, to Bakugou's clearly aggressive stance as his face was completely stone cold. He couldn't help the intrigue knowing that he would potentially have to fight one of these opponents, though if he was a betting man, his money would be on Bakugou. Uraraka was strong in her own way, but Bakugou's Quirk was pure strength and force.

"What was the counter-strategy you came up with for her against Bakugou," He heard the loud voice of Iida ask the smaller Midoriya.

Tokoyami couldn't help but listen in on their conversation, though his crossed arms and eyes were still focused on the two fighters on the field.

"Oh, that! It's really not all that brilliant or anything..." Midoriya muttered, that self-deprecating tone over his work rubbing Tokoyami the wrong way. "It's just, Kacchan is undeniably strong...! And in a close-quarters brawl, he's got almost no openings to speak of."

Bakugou's close range fighting stance was certainly a hindrance, Tokoyami had to admit. He was an aggressive guy with a penchant for anger, but with the technical ability and just the right Quirk to really excel and back up his power.

"And if you factor in the mobility his Quirk gives him, he's even stronger. That being said, while it's true he has maneuverability in midair as well... If she can cause him to float, she can gain the initiative from there." Deku's analytical voice was showing, calm and filled with concern for his friend, but his plan was sound, foolproof assuming she could actually hit Bakugou.

"So that's why... She needs to strike fast!"

As he said that, they heard the voice of Present Mic calling for the start of the match and in an instant, Uraraka darted forwards, headfirst towards Bakugou.

"If by some slip he gets tapped, he'll start floating, so he won't want her to draw too close! So if Kacchan is thinking what I think he's thinking..." Tokoyami couldn't help but glance at Izuku has the other boy began to really get in to the battle, his voice rising excitedly. "He won't dodge, he'll confront her!"

Just as Midoriya said, Bakugou stood still, waiting for Uraraka to arrive, slamming his hand forwards in a right hook, the explosion filling the air instantly as fire and smoke flashed through the battlefield straight in to Uraraka before she could react.

"She couldn't react fast enough," Tokoyami noted, watching as Uraraka was lost in the smoke.

From the stands below them, gasps of horror could be heard as people began to realize that Bakugou wasn't about to hold back just because Uraraka was his opponent, though Midoriya seemed aware of this from the start. The other boy was watching, that excitement still in his eyes as he watched two of his closest friends square off.

That was when Bakugou stalked forwards, Tokoyami's eyes looking in his direction to see Uraraka beneath the smoke, her jacket poking out into the open air. His hands tensed as he watched, hearing Bakugou's loud proclamation of "Now die! Don't underst-"

In that moment, the smoke behind Bakugou shifted, the brown haired girl launching from her cover with a determined scowl on her face.

"She made her jacket float. That was a sound strategy from Uraraka," Iida stated. "Though her unorthodox strategies have worked for her in the past as well." The taller male shuddered at the thought of her dreaded improvised home run attack from their combat training.

"She threw her jacket over and sent it floating, all on the fly!" Present Mic boomed out, echoing Iida's statement excitedly.

But Bakugou was too quick, slashing his hand back towards Uraraka before she could get close, the force of his explosion rocketing her away from him towards the other side of the stage.

Sero was the first to speak, genuine surprise tinged in his voice. "He reacted after spotting her...!"

"Smoke screens won't work against reaction time like that!" Kaminari echoed, a terrified expression on his face.

Tokoyami had to admit, his reaction speed was impressive. That instinct for survival was something he admittedly lacked, yet Bakugou had the natural prowess in spades. It was only just beginning to dawn on Tokoyami that he may be facing Bakugou at some point in the contest, and the thought chilled him to the core.

The true tragedy was just unfolding however, Uraraka continuing to charge forwards with as much might as she could muster, yet Bakugou would blast her back each and every time, knocking her away before she could grab at him.

Midoriya looked on in horror, as did Iida and the rest of the class, Tokoyami wanting to look away, but he couldn't help admiring the resolve in Uraraka's strategy. She was determined and he knew just what the expression on her face was showing - She couldn't lose.

"Ochaco..." Tsuyu muttered, a rare show of concern on her expressionless face, while Jirou had her hands covering her eyes in shock. Momo watched in dismay, Ashido couldn't help but stay silent and Hagakure was clutching on to the pink-skinned girl fearfully.

"Ugh. So Bakugou's that type of guy..." Mineta scowled.

"Coming from you," Tokoyami snapped back tersely, Mineta's eyes widening in fear as the raven-faced boy sharply glanced towards him with his fierce red eyes.

Shouji glanced to Tokoyami at that, from his seat next to Mineta, eyes pleading for Tokoyami to drop the conversation, which Tokoyami gladly did, turning away coldly while Shouji began to reprimand the gremlin.

"She keeps charging relentlessly, but... This is..." Present Mic found himself, for the first time, unable to really speak.

But Tokoyami, his eyes on the battlefield, ignoring the crowd, had noticed something that seemed just a little bit off. As Uraraka launched towards Bakugou once more, her hands darted to the rubble on the ground, an odd movement. "Wait a minute..." He muttered more to himself, the others preoccupied with the crowd that was beginning to boo.

His eyes darted up, just as Aizawa's voice rang through the stadium.

"Is the one who said he's toying with her a pro? How many years of active duty? If that's what you're taking away from this, then you can leave. No point in watching. Go home and start looking at job hunting sites." The usually calm, dull voice of Aizawa had risen, like someone had just pissed him off. And it was in that moment that the world learned that if anybody took a jab at his students, he was going to fight back.

"She's come this far, and he knows her strength. His caution shows that he recognizes her as a worthy opponent. It's exactly because he wants to win so badly that there's no room for carelessness or holding back." At that, Aizawa's voice turned quiet as everyone noticed the telltale explosions of the battle had stopped.

Tokoyami could only look extremely impressed as his eyes were glued to the sky, while everyone else was glued to the ground. "Iida, you were right about one thing," He muttered quietly, the taller boy turning to him confused.

"What do you mean, Tokoyami?" Iida asked.

Tokoyami just motioned his head upwards. "Her unorthodox strategies are truly terrifying."

At that moment, Uraraka's voice rang out across the stadium. "Thanks for not dropping your guard." At that, her hands clasped together, as she screamed out three words.

"I'm gonna win!"

At this, everyone's eyes darted upwards, everyone finally seeing the true power of Ochako Uraraka. Countless rocks, debris, rubble, lifted straight from Bakugou's various explosions, were floating in the air, sustained by one young high school girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders. And with a hand tap, that weight was released.

"It's a meteor storm!?" Iida choked out.

"Such an extreme self-sacrificing strategy..." Deku muttered in sheer surprise. "Uraraka!" Deku was at the edge of his seat as the debris began to fall, Tokoyami right there with him watching as she dashed her way through the rubble straight towards Bakugou, the determination etched onto her face as her gambit fell into place, Bakugou's face twisting upwards aggressively, his eyes widened in shock.

She was closer, even closer now, just a few paces awa-

The explosion rocked the stadium with so much force, reds, yellows, oranges and greys mixing together as a shockwave tore through the stands, Tokoyami feeling himself pushed back ever so slightly. But for the one in the center of it all, Uraraka was flung backwards like a rag doll, no warning as she slid and thudded to the ground, desperation and horror at his sheer power etched across her face.

"Must have been all that hanging out with Deku, huh?" Bakugou growled lowly. "I knew you had some kind of plan..."

Midoriya couldn't help but squeak in fear at his name being mentioned, shrinking back to his seat with a sad look on his face. And Tokoyami had to admit, he understood why. This battle was over.

Midoriya and Tokoyami knew. They had met her during the entrance exams outside the school and he'd seen first hand throughout their training how much her gravity Quirk affected her in long bouts. And with so much to hold up... "She's gone past her limits..." He muttered darkly.

And as Bakugou darted towards Uraraka, the girl turning to meet him, one of her legs buckled underneath her, the girl plummeting to the ground in a heap in front of Bakugou.

"Her weight capacity... She's already passed it," Izuku stated somberly, everyone turning to Tokoyami and Midoriya, who both watched as Midnight stepped in to check on Uraraka.

"Her weight capacity?" Kaminari asked.

Tokoyami nodded. "She has the power to make objects float, but even then she can only carry so much," He noted. "Midoriya has more first hand experience with her Quirk, but I'm surprised most of you were not aware."

And as he explained that, Midnight's voice cut through the silence.

"Uraraka is unable to continue. Bakugou moves on to the second round!"

* * *

Uraraka was taken out on the stretcher shortly afterwards to be sent to Recovery Girl, with Midoriya somberly getting up to head to the prep room for his match. But Tokoyami had one request he wanted to make, quickly tailing after Midoriya as he turned the corner to head to the stairs. There was something he needed to ask, seeing as he had no doubt Bakugou could end up being his opponent down the line.

"Midoriya!" He called out quickly, catching up the green haired boy he was looking rather glum. "I apologize for disturbing you, I know you have a match to get to, but I have a request."

Midoriya looked at Tokoyami, eyebrows arched in confusion as he turned to face the raven-boy.

"You had strategies for everybody in the class written down in your notepad. If it's not too much to ask, I was wondering if I could see what you have on myself and Dark Shadow." Tokoyami, direct and straight to the point, still had Shouji in his mind, the taller boy having read from Midoriya's notebook earlier in the day. He knew just how strong Midoriya was analytically and any strategy would do at this point.

"Oh, yeah sure, here," Midoriya muttered, pulling out a small black notebook. "Page fifteen, I don't have too much on you Tsuku, but I hope it helps. I have to go though."

With a nod, Tokoyami took the book into his hands, nodding Midoriya farewell and shouting a good luck to him. Facing Todoroki next would certainly be an interesting match to watch, but what he really wanted was to analyze any notes Midoriya had made.

"What's that you've got there?" He heard a voice ask, jumping a few paces back as the tall Shouji popped up behind him. When Shouji saw the book, a sly smile appeared on one of his many mouths. "I see you couldn't resist Midoriya's notes either, could you."

Tokoyami shrugged. "I need every advantage I can get against Ashido and Bakugou."

"Well, what does it say?" Shouji asked, muscling his way to the notebook as Tokoyami flipped it open to the correct page.

What greeted him was a sprawling wall of well organized text that spanned at least two pages. Tokoyami couldn't help but wonder how Midoriya felt this many notes wasn't too much, and he had to wonder what too much actually was.

"Well that's interesting," He thought, his eyes reading a few sentences regarding Tokoyami's Quirk, Dark Shadow.

 _"Dark Shadow's symbiotic nature with Tsuku makes them a deadly duo to face in battle. With Tokoyami able to transfer his own energy to his Quirk to avoid the weakness to light, using this bond could allow Tsuku to overcome foes that use light as a primary weapon, like Bakugou."_

"He calls you Tsuku?" Shouji quipped jokingly. "And here I thought only I got to call you by a nickname."

"Hmph, call me whatever you wish, it's just a name," Tokoyami groaned, knowing exactly where this was going.

"Mhm, just a name that he calls you. Just saying, there's more notes on you than there is on most of the class in there," Shouji whispered.

Tokoyami felt his cheeks heating up under his feathers, extremely grateful that the jet black of his plumage hid those reactions. It made him hard to read and he preferred it that way, though he wasn't fooling Shouji if the taller boy's expression of glee was any indication.

"Did you know apparently there was a Hero with the same bird mutation as you?" Shouji then stated, pointing to a small picture that Midoriya had clearly stuck in to the notebook.

It was off a dark raven-like man with feathers all over his entire body, aside from his arms. The photo was in black and white, but he had a piercing stare not unlike Tokoyami's own gaze. Though as Tokoyami was scanning the picture, he noticed a name, The Raven, and two years underneath the photo.

"A date of birth and a date of death," He stated darkly. "It says that this man was a Pro Hero who passed away sixteen years ago. Apparently Midoriya listed him as a reference for me since we share similar mutations. Apparently his wife went missing a year later after their child was stillborn."

"Sounds grim," Shouji muttered. "But that's quite common among Pro Heroes. Dying in the line of duty, leaving their families..." The taller boy's voice was sad in tone as he said this.

"He could be worth looking up though," Tokoyami admitted. "If I still have a home tonight, I'll do some research."

"You'll be fine," Shouji stated calmly. "Remember what I said earlier, when I went around to your house your parents didn't seem to want to kick you out. I'm sure they're just trying to light a fire under you."

"Or put the fire out entirely," Tokoyami replied sharply.

"Ever the optimist." Shouji's sardonically droll reply as the taller boy looked out down the hallway had Tokoyami chuckling quietly to himself. "It seems like the break's almost over, should we return to watch Midoriya's match?"

Tokoyami nodded quietly, clutching the notebook to his chest.

Now he had even more to think about. Midoriya's notes mentioned how his bond with Dark Shadow, should he gain the endurance, would be enough to even withstand attacks from Bakugou. But that old Pro Hero, The Raven, was also on his mind. Someone with a similar mutation to his own was rare to see and he couldn't help but have his interest piqued.

As they walked back to their seats, Shouji sitting near Mineta once more to keep the lascivious shark at bay, Tokoyami took his seat by the front of the stands once more, Iida already glancing down towards the field intently.

"Have they started yet?" A familiar female voice called out, Tokoyami's eyes turning to see a shocking sight.

Uraraka had just arrived, her eyebrows puffy and red, eyes somewhat swollen. Iida cried out, "Were you blinded!? Hurry up and go see recovery girl!"

Tokoyami had to wonder just how naive Iida could be when he wanted, a trait he seemed to share with Izuku. Because he could tell from an instant that she had been crying. Though he wouldn't admit it, sleepless nights as a child when Dark Shadow was at it's peak of anger had left him in similar states before.

"I did already. This is from... something else..." She muttered quietly, clearly trying to brush away the conversation, though Tokoyami couldn't help but offer a sympathetic look.

Though keeping his cool and calm exterior, he added, "Don't regret your loss, Uraraka. Just learn from it and move on, you fought well."

"Thanks, Tokoyami," She smiled back to him halfheartedly, still reeling over her loss.

And in that moment, an announcement blared across the stadium as two students stepped out into the ring. And Tokoyami had to admit, he hadn't felt more tense in his life as Todoroki, the one who declared war at the start of the festival, stepped up on to the field against Midoriya, one of his closest friends and supporters, who was carrying All Might's legacy on his shoulders.

This was a battle he had to watch.

* * *

 **The chapter ended just a little bit shorter than intended, but I'd covered everything I needed to hit this chapter and felt no need to drag it out longer than it had to be. I wanted to give attention to Uraraka's fight because she's had quite a bit of minor focus in the fic and Tokoyami does pay attention to her as a student given she was one of the first people he met in this fic.**

 **And the notebook is just me setting up some fun stuff. Plus I like the idea of Midoriya completely lying to Tokoyami about his notes on him to seem less stalkerish.**


	37. Midoriya VS Todoroki? To be a Hero?

**Chapter 37 - Midoriya VS Todoroki!? To be a Hero!?**

The tension that could be felt throughout the arena was palpable, Tokoyami could feel it in the air. Two of the major players in Class 1-A were getting ready to duke it out in the arena, and he couldn't help but drink in the atmosphere, his hands folded as his eyes watched the pair step out onto the ring.

Midoriya had proven himself to be a powerful competitor during the Tournament, having won the Obstacle Race and survived the Cavalry Battle. He broke free of Shinso's mind control Quirk through sheer willpower and even as he stepped on to the ring, only a hint of nerves in his expression as he stepped up to face the competitor whom he had worried about back in the stands. With All Might watching, he could imagine Midoriya was under a horrible amount of pressure and he could only hope that Izuku would pull off a win.

But Todoroki wasn't a simple opponent to defeat. For sheer power, he was one of the strongest in the class, able to battle with the likes of Bakugou and win. Tokoyami had been on the receiving end of Todoroki's strategic mind during the Cavalry Battle and knew just as well as Uraraka, who was watching nervously as well, that Todoroki would not go own easily. His declaration of war against Izuku hanging in the air, they knew that regardless of what happened in the fight, Todoroki was gunning to take Izuku out.

"You think he can win?" Shouji asked, slinking a mouth over to the bird-headed boy.

Tokoyami was silent at that. That wasn't a question he thought he could answer, turning to look at Shouji with a somber expression, uncertainty dancing across his eyes.

"Deku's got this," Uraraka muttered beside them, turning to look at the pair with a smile. "It's like Bakugou told me, when you hang out with Deku, you always have a plan. So I bet he's got a plan for Todoroki."

"Midoriya is aware of Todoroki's Quirk. If anybody is able to create a counter, it is Midoriya." Iida's reply was full of confidence, the same confidence that Uraraka was now eliciting.

Tokoyami couldn't help but let out a light chuckle, leaning back in his seat. "Perhaps Midoriya can find a way."

 **"That's the spirit Fumikage!"** A deep voice jeered, Dark Shadow forming around his shoulders quite suddenly, much to the surprise of Uraraka and Iida, though Shouji's lack of reaction wasn't surprising.

Having stayed at Shouji's home during their training period, the taller male was more used to Dark Shadow's tendencies, especially his ability to form at will whenever he wanted, assuming Fumikage wasn't intentionally holding him back.

"Alright, match start!"

That was all the warning they got, Todoroki lifting his arm up instantly, a large barrage of ice forcing it's way towards Midoriya in an instant. The ice sparkled in the sunlight, shards forming in milliseconds towards Midoriya's still form. The green haired boy was watching the ice with a scowl on his face, before raising one of his hands, pointing out a finger.

The sudden shock wave from Midoriya's sudden blast of power broke through the ice in an instant, sending a cold windy chill into the stands, Tokoyami's arms folding closer to his chest as he felt his feathers beginning to perk up.

Tokoyami's eyes were instantly on Midoriya's finger while everyone else was watching Todoroki for his reaction. So for a brief moment, Tokoyami and perhaps All Might and the faculty, were the only ones to notice the bloodied broken middle finger on Midoriya's right hand.

"Midoriya completely smashed through Todoroki's ice barrage!" Present Mic announced, followed by cheers from the crowd.

So that was the true power of One for All. Able to smash through Todoroki's attack like it was nothing, yet Tokoyami couldn't help but wonder how Midoriya was going to cope with the physical strain of his attacks. Breaking his bones was one thing, having them healed was another entirely.

Another ice barrage surged it's way towards Izuku, Todoroki taking a single step forward to cast the chilling wave, yet as with before, another explosion, another cold chill, it all washed through the air, the sound of ice crackling filling the stadium. Tokoyami couldn't help but stare as Midoriya lost another finger, small spurts of blood bursting out from the injury.

"His hand..." Uraraka muttered, hand over her mouth in shock. "I didn't get a good look during combat training. Is that..."

"That's what he did against Bakugou, except it was his whole hand," Shouji muttered from behind them, his eyes trained on the boy in the arena. "It's reckless, but it's his only option."

Tokoyami had to ponder that. His only option of surviving the fight, or his only option in an attempt to impress All Might in the Festival. He had a feeling Izuku's mind was on the former, but the latter was probably hanging over him like a bell that was tolling.

He could see Midoriya's face scrunch up in pain, but the boy was still staring straight at his opponent all the while. In that moment, an ice barrier began to rise behind Todoroki, between the boy and the edge of the ring.

"By creating an ice wall behind him, he is able to withstand Midoriya's attacks without falling out of the ring," Iida explained.

"A counter-strategy?" Tokoyami asked aloud.

 **"Midoriya'll still win though,"** Dark Shadow said in a know-it-all fashion, glancing back at Shouji who was watching with an expressionless look. **"You think so to, right Shouji?"**

Shouji turned his head slightly to look at Dark Shadow, his eyes meeting the Quirk's own for a moment. Tokoyami felt like he was missing out on some sort of context with this silent conversation going on, before Shouji muttered a quiet, "Of course."

Another wall of ice, another shockwave.

"Gah, they already started!" The voice of Kirishima called out as the red-head rushed in to the stands.

"Hey! Nice job getting to the second round, Kirishima!" Kaminari called out excitedly, while the others continued to watch.

"Thanks. I'm up against you next Bakugou!" Kirishima moved to sit down next to Sero as Bakugou roared an 'I'll kill you,' to which he replied with a jovial, "Ha, I'd like to see you try! But, man. You and that Todoroki... You can fire off as many of those crazy-strong attacks as you want..."

It was Bakugou's next reply that piqued Tokoyami's interest, the bird-headed boy shifting his head ever so slightly for a better way to listen.

"As many as we want? Don't be an idiot. Strain your muscles, and you'll tear them. Run too much, and you'll be out of breath. Quirks are still physical abilities. Even the hot and cold bastard has to have some kind of limit." Tokoyami was the only one who noticed Bakugou looking down at his hands as he said that, revealing to Tokoyami that even Bakugou had some sort of weakness.

Dark Shadow was limited by the amount of exposure he could take to light. Uraraka was limited by how much weight she could carry. Iida was limited by his own engines and how they had the ability to stall. Even Midoriya was limited in how much he could break his body before it became too much. So what weaknesses did Todoroki and Bakugou have?

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." Kirishima admitted. "So up against insta-kill man, Midoriya's trying to draw the match out."

"That's pretty clever of Midoriya," Tsuyu commented thoughtfully, her eyes watching the match eagerly.

"But I doubt Todoroki will be willing to let up," Shouji muttered gravely.

"Shouji?" Tokoyami turned his attention to his friend, who he noticed was looking tenser than he had before.

Shouji looked off, that was Tokoyami's first thought. But he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was.

"Todoroki is a powerful opponent. People believe that monsters have scary features or look abnormal, but a monstrous power is something else altogether." Shouji seemed to be talking more to himself than to anyone else, his eyes focused on the battle, rather than those who were listening to him.

Kouda looked at Shouji, frowning every so slightly before meeting Tokoyami's eyes with a silent question. Was Shouji okay?

Tokoyami didn't have an answer. But with those words, he had a feeling he knew what had set his friend off.

Thinking back, Shouji had constantly lost to Todoroki since they arrived at the school. Being overshadowed in all of their major events, perhaps that uselessness that he had wanted to prove wrong with the Festival was more of a concern than he'd first thought. His friend wanted nothing more than to help people, aware of his own motivation yet unable to prove himself when he needed to most, whereas Tokoyami felt he had the opposite problem.

He was able to prove himself in times of stress or need, winning the combat training, saving Mezou's life in the entrance exam, fighting with Kouda in the USJ and now here... He'd constantly been improving, yet aside from wanting to prove his parents wrong, he had no real long term motivations aside from wanting to be a Hero because it felt right.

Funny how things worked out...

"Midoriya!?" Uraraka cried out.

Tokoyami's eyes snapped back to the fight, surprised to see that Todoroki had charged at Midoriya, who had lost yet another finger, the icy hot boy looking to end the match in a quick smash. Todoroki's hand was slamming down towards the ground, Midoriya crying out as he used a massive shockwave to blast himself out of the way in the nick of time.

But Todoroki was close, Midoriya lifting his injured hand once more as Todoroki slammed another ice wall towards him. They collided, blasting both of the boys back to where they had started, frost and fog beginning to engulf the stage in a calm mist.

And through that, Tokoyami could only see one thing.

Both of Midoriya's hands completely shattered and bruised, blood dripping from the fingertips. The boy had used his good hand to blast himself away in the nick of time, leaving himself completely defenseless, and he had to admit he didn't like seeing Midoriya so beaten up.

"With both hands destroyed, you can't fight anymore." Todoroki's voice was calm, filling the stadium that had chilled itself to silence. "Let's end this."

"Todoroki continues his relentless assault! Could this next ice attack win it all?" Present Mic echoed, Tokoyami glancing between Todoroki and Midoriya, Dark Shadow even lifting his head up to watch the battle.

The ice sliced through the air towards Midoriya, Tokoyami waiting for the ring out, waiting for the match to end.

 **"Who says I'm done!?"**

The ice shattered just as it had before, Todoroki taking a solitary step back in surprise, the force of the wind slamming everyone back into their seats. Tokoyami's feathers were pushed back, he heard Uraraka squeak, Shouji having to catch Mineta as the smaller boy was thrown forcefully back towards the stands.

But as with before, Tokoyami's eyes knowingly went to Midoriya, where his breath caught in his throat.

The boy's already broken fingers were now an even darker shade of purple, clearly withered and spent, blood now crusting over the skin, like it was burnt. Midoriya's face was the true expression of pain, yet even then his eyes were still trained on the other.

"Why would you go that far, breaking your fingers?" Todoroki asked, caught off guard.

"You're shivering Todoroki."

In that moment, the temperature seemed to drop. Tokoyami glanced to Todoroki, finally noticing what he had yet to see. Flecks of ice stuck to his skin, his clothes... "That's his weakness..." He murmured.

"Quirks are still just physical abilities. You must have a limit to how much of that cold you can bear. But the, you could always use your left side to thaw yourself out, right?" Midoriya took a step forwards, his voice rising so that everybody in the stadium could hear. "Everyone's giving it their all! To win, to achieve their goals... To make it to the top!"

Midoriya glanced around the stadium, his eyes resting on Class 1-A, Tokoyami and everyone else watching silently. He couldn't help but feel like Midoriya's words were directed at him, yet one glance at the rest of the students told him they were feeling the same way. Midoriya really had a way of motivating the rest of the group, through the thick and the thin.

"And you're gonna win with half your power!?" Midoriya looked down to his hand, then back to Todoroki. "Todoroki, you haven't even put a scratch on me."

Todoroki's eyes widened for a second before reverting, yet the message was clear. Despite Midoriya's injuries, it had only just occurred to those watching that yes... Todoroki hadn't once hit Midoriya. And Tokoyami couldn't help but be impressed.

"Gimme everything you've got! Come at me Todoroki!"

Todoroki spoke lowly, just quietly enough so that nobody except Izuku could hear him, but the anger on his face and the sudden lunge forwards was undeniable. "You're pissing me off!"

 **"Doesn't take a genius to see that Izuku just baited him,"** Dark Shadow hummed, Tokoyami looking to his Quirk, then to the injured boy who had lunged forwards as well.

And as Todoroki lifted his left leg, Izuku struck, slamming into him with a savage punch that was clearly powered with One for All. Tokoyami could only wince as Todoroki flew backwards, completely shocked, while Izuku's hand began to burst at the seams, more blood pouring from his wound.

"He actually hit Todoroki?" Shouji muttered tersely from behind him.

"You had doubts?" Tokoyami said, looking back at his friend.

Shouji didn't reply.

"But can he be healed by Recovery Girl with those injuries?" Uraraka asked silently.

That caused Tokoyami to pause. Those wounds were severe and Recovery Girl wasn't a miracle working. Sure, she could heal injuries, but only through the use of a person's own energy. Would Midoriya have energy to spare if he went all out?

"Why're you going this far?" Todoroki called out angrily.

"Just trying to meet expectations!" Midoriya, trying to create a fist, couldn't do it. Tokoyami's heart dropped realizing Midoriya had no way of dodging another large attack. But when Izuku's thumb went to his mouth, he imagined the crack of the bone as Izuku forced his power to activate, slamming Todoroki backwards into a wall of ice he had conjured.

"A smiling, dependable, cool hero! That's what I wanna be!" Midoriya replied, speeding forwards, leaping into Todoroki, head first with a heabutt, sending the boy and his rapidly weakening ice attacks backwards once more. "That's why I'm giving it everything! For everyone! If you become number one without giving it your all... Then I don't really think you're serious about denying him everything!"

"Shut up!" Todoroki growled, the frost covered boy weakened and angry. He looked almost pitiful.

"That's why I have to win!" Midoriya screamed. And as Midoriya surged forwards, his fist ready for another strike, Tokoyami remembered Midoriya's words from before...

* * *

 _"I'm going to help Todoroki. I don't know how just yet, but I will. He's not his father and I'm not All Might." Midoriya turned to look at the disintegrating formation of ice in front of them, flecks of cold ice dripping down towards the stands. "But he's pretty strong huh. I probably won't be able to beat him without going full power."_

 _"Does he even want your help though, Midoriya?" Tokoyami asked in a concerning tone._

 _Izuku shrugged, giving Tokoyami the faintest of smiles. "Being a Hero isn't about whether people want my help. Being a Hero is all about helping even when people don't ask. It's not like I want gratitude or anything, but if I can help Todoroki, then I want to."_

 _ **"Izuku Midoriya is too pure for this world,"** Dark Shadow bawled next to the pair._

* * *

"Of course..." He muttered in a whisper. "He's trying to help Todoroki."

And in the ring, "I'll surpass you!" Midoriya's next punch connected, Todoroki flying backwards to the ground in a heap.

"Shouji, he's trying to help him," Tokoyami stated, turning to his friend. "Like he said before."

Shouji was silent, but after a moment... "I called Todoroki a monster. But if Midoriya can help him, can show him the good inside himself, that's enough for me."

"Shouji..." Tokoyami muttered, wishing he could just smile at his friend, but the fight came first.

Midoriya stood on one side of the field, battered and bruised. All of his injuries self-inflicted, his face filled with determination and his body pumping adrenaline to keep him going through the pain. Tokoyami could only imagine how Izuku's mother would be reacting to this right now. Would she be proud of her son? Would she be scared for her son?

While Todoroki had no parent to call his own. He had denounced Endeavor and nobody knew anything about his home life. But there he was, pushing himself back up to his feet, trembling and shivering from the cold, having been beaten down by Midoriya while the boy kept reaching out to him, giving him a lifeline. This next attempt would probably be the last.

Tokoyami drew his arms closer to his chest, the cold becoming more noticeable as Midoriya prepared one last attempt to help Todoroki.

 **"It's _your_ power, isn't it!"**

It didn't happen instantly, but Tokoyami noticed the silence, Todoroki shaking. Midoriya's words had fallen on deaf ears, he had thought...

Suddenly, an extreme explosion of flame burst into view, orange, yellow and red flames soaring high up into the sky, engulfing Todoroki's form in an explosive wave of energy. And as the flames soared higher, Midoriya was smiling all the way through it, excitement on his face.

"I... I want to be a Hero too!" Todoroki cried out, the flames subsiding downwards towards his side. And as his face lit up, everyone saw the smile on Todoroki's face.

"He did it..." Tokoyami muttered to himself. "He saved Todoroki from himself."

And down on the battlefield, Todoroki asked a very fair question. "Why are you smiling?" For they were both beaming at each other confidently. "With those injuries... In this situation... You're crazy."

The pair's smiles lowered, turning to determined glares, as Todoroki said, "Don't blame me for what happens next."

And all this time Tokoyami could only wonder just how crazy Midoriya was. But more so than that, he was learning. Learning about motivation and what it meant to them to be a Hero. Midoriya just wanted to be a cool hero who could smile and save people who needed help... That was who he wanted to be, someone that could be counted upon to help the innocent.

Tokoyami wanted to help people. And for the first time he actually believed in that goal.

Todoroki's ice suddenly began to cover the field, his flames roaring. Midoriya's form was powering up, ready for a final attack, but as this happened, Tokoyami eyes noticed Cementoss leaning down to summon cement. Midnight was running in.

They were going to stop the match.

But Midoriya was too fast, speeding forwards as Todoroki's ice burst around them, rekindled by his left side, his powers raised back to full, Midoriya leaped over the ice at the speed of sound, too fast too see! Tokoyami raised his arm, flames engulfing the pair of them, Tokoyami trying his best to see what was happening when...

Walls raised, the students's attacks slammed into the walls, shattering them in an instant, Todoroki's flames causing an intense explosion, light bursting from every crevice as the cooled air of the stadium heated up in an instant, causing everything to be engulfed in an explosion of blue and yellow.

Then came the final shockwave, the most powerful of the lot. Tokoyami bared the full brunt of it, trying his best to stay unfazed though he could feel his feathers being pushed backwards painfully so. Shouji had once again latched on to Mineta who had almost slammed into the wall.

Cement and rocks were falling to the ground of the stadium where the explosion had taken place, leaving a dust cloud across the whole field.

"What happened?" Momo called out.

And as they all looked down, the dust began to clear away. And all they could see was a shoe, everyone in the crowds letting out a cry of confusion. Who was it? Who was ringed out? Did Midoriya pull through and take down Todoroki, or had the fires been too hot for his friend.

And there on the side of the ring, against the wall...

Tokoyami felt his energy drop, Dark Shadow also looking at the sight in shock along with him. Midoriya stood against the side of the wall, injured, bruised, unmoving and... "Out of bounds..." He stated. Midoriya's limp body fell from his position with a dull thud, nobody knowing how to react.

"M-Midoriya..." Midnight muttered. "Is out of bounds! Todoroki advances to the third round!"

* * *

 **Two updates in two days? What's gotten into me? I guess I'm just feeling the heat, and so is Todoroki! Hopefully I was able to convey the battle well from the spectator's point of view. I got a lot of extra character depth I hadn't initially planned with Shouji and Toko, so I'm happy!**

 **For those curious (I frame my chapter titles like awful anime episode translations) - The "To be a Hero" is both a reference to Todoroki's whole origin moment, as well as Tokoyami's realization that he genuinely wants to help people. The Tokoyami in this fic still doesn't know what his motivation is, but leave it to good old Midoriya to give him some clarity and help.**


	38. Unexpected Eavesdropping! Toko VS Mina!

**Chapter 38 - Unexpected Eavesdropping!? Toko VS Mina!?**

The sound of footsteps echoing across the vast open hallways of the U.A. Sport's Festival Stadium were all that could be heard, the distant roaring of the crowds dying down as a group of students sprinted towards the Recovery Ward. Tokoyami's eyes scanned the corridors for the right room, his blood pumping adrenaline through his body as he wondered just whether Midoriya was alright.

Uraraka and Iida were right behind him, the former's face sunken and scared, while the latter was the definition of unsubtle in his feelings. Iida's face held an expression of genuine fear, but could Tokoyami really blame him? Midoriya had gone so far against Todoroki, mutilating his own arms to inspire his opponent to forget his past and focus on his own power.

Tsuyu, Mineta and Shouji were also close behind, with Kouda bringing up the rear of the group. While everyone in the class, Bakugou aside, had wanted to go and see Midoriya, it was only this group of students who had managed to get away first. Tsuyu, despite her lack of expression, was definitely concerned for Midoriya, given he'd heard stories about how they had helped each other during the USJ, same going for Mineta.

Kouda was probably following because he hated seeing his classmates hurt and despite not having too many interactions, Kouda had struck up a small friendship with Midoriya through Tokoyami. It only occurred to him at that point that Kouda might have been following, not for Midoriya's safety, but to make sure Tokoyami was alright seeing his friend in pain. Either way, Kouda's concern was in the right place.

And Shouji. Well, Tokoyami had to admit that Shouji had been off since the start of the fight. Todoroki had left a serious impression on the taller man, who seemed more melancholic when his name was brought up. But at the end of the fight, Shouji's demeanour had changed. It was as if Midoriya's fight had opened his eyes to Todoroki's personality that much more. He only hoped that whatever the change was, it would allow Shouji to move on from the issue.

They all finally reached the Recovery Ward, Uraraka pushing ahead slightly to grab the door. They slammed it open, and while Tokoyami thought he was prepared for the sight he was about to witness, he admittedly wasn't ready.

Midoriya was laid down in a hospital bed, face contorted in pain, cold sweat dripping from his messed up hair. He had bandages wrapped around his entire torso, while a large cast contained both of his broken arms in front of his chest. His tracksuit was torn, fresh cuts underneath the rips where he had been flung across the stage, and all Tokoyami could think was about how destructive that Quirk of his was.

"Deku!" Uraraka called out fearfully, the rest of them spilling through the doorway.

That was when Tokoyami noticed the man standing next to Midoriya's bedside. Bright blonde hair, a business suit and a rather frail complexion were the first things he noticed. The man's eyes were sunken and dark, his chin jagged like it could cut glass. But what Tokoyami found off putting were the man's pupils. They were shimmering blue, and he felt he'd seen them before but he wasn't sure where...

"Oh, hello, nice to meet you...?" Uraraka hesitantly said when she saw the man.

Midoriya's head lifted from his bed ever so slightly, his voice hoarse. "Guys...? But... the next match..."

Iida stepped forwards, gesturing back towards the stadium. "The arena was mostly destroyed so there's a break while it's being repaired."

"Yeah, we came cuz we were worried!" Uraraka said.

Mineta popped up from beneath them all, eyes widened, finger pointing at the injured boy. "That was scary as hell, Midoriya! No Pro's gonna want to hire y-"

In that moment, not only did Tsuyu's tongue leap out to smack Mineta on the head, but before Tokoyami had noticed, Dark Shadow had also slipped out of hiding to bat at Mineta's head in annoyance. He found himself not caring too much.

"You're rubbing too much salt in the wound, Mineta," Tsuyu explained.

"You know I'm right though," Mineta replied.

Tokoyami folded his arms. "Regardless, it was rude and unneeded."

In that moment, they heard an elderly voice yell, "Pipe down!" Everyone leaping backwards in surprise, Tokoyami and Tsuyu being the two exceptions.

Tokoyami admittedly hadn't seen Recovery Girl since the day of the Entrance Exam. He'd been careful enough to avoid any serious injuries, unlike Midoriya who seemed to be a regular at this point, but he found himself pleasantly surprised to see that she was taking diligent care of the students. Despite her old age, she still wore her super hero costume like a champ, pink helmet and visor telling people that she was here to take care of them.

"You know it's fine to worry but he is about to have surgery!" She announced, everyone's gaze darting back to their classmate in horror.

Although Tokoyami couldn't help but remember something that Recovery Girl had told him so long ago when he had attempted his entrance exams. "Heroes that need healing are the ones who put themselves in danger..." He whispered, everyone turning to him with weird looks as he realized he'd said that out loud. "Oh, I didn't realize you heard that."

A flash of recognition seemed to cross the Nurse's eyes as she looked at Tokoyami while pushing them out of the room, but if she wanted to say something to him, she wasn't showing it.. It seemed that Midoriya was talking behind her with the man at the bed, Tokoyami catching a few words. "I couldn't do it."

Tokoyami's blood ran cold.

The implications of the green haired boy's words were enough to cause him to do a double take at the blonde haired man, while Recovery Girl was still pushing them out of the door. Those eyes... He knew who they belonged to.

And then the door was closed in front of them, the sound of a rather loud lock letting the group know that they wouldn't be getting back in any time soon.

"Surgery?" Kouda was the first to say as they began to walk away from the door, his gentle voice filled with trepidation.

"He sustained serious wounds," Shouji stated. "Looking at him there..." Shouji's voice died off as everyone fell into silence again, while Tokoyami's mind was still racing with the information he'd just discovered.

"I think I shall head to the prep room," Iida announced finally, after what felt like an eternity. "My fight is next and I cannot afford to be late."

"Right, good luck Iida," Uraraka mumbled, still down on seeing Deku in such a defeated position.

It was only when the frog-girl placed a hand on Uraraka's shoulder, muttering a, "We'll head back to the stands," that the group finally began to start moving again, Tsuyu, Uraraka and Mineta all heading back to the seating area, leaving just Shouji and Kouda with Tokoyami in the Recovery Ward.

"Are you alright Tokoyami?" Kouda asked timidly, Tokoyami looking back at his friend with a tentative nod.

"Recovery Girl will do what she can. She healed me once during the Entrance Exam after I fell from a building, so if anyone can help Midoriya, it's her." Tokoyami didn't miss Shouji's posture tense at the reminder of their exam. The taller boy was fully aware that he was partly to blame for Tokoyami's old injuries.

"I wonder who that man was, though," Kouda questioned aloud, Shouji thoughtfully looking to Kouda, as if he'd been mulling it over as well.

"I thought Midoriya's mother was his only parent," The taller male admitted. "He looked important though, in that business suit."

Tokoyami didn't chime in, because if his hunch was correct, that was information he definitely didn't want to go around spreading, even to Kouda who was known to keep a secret to his grave. "Toko?" Shouji asked, noticing his silence.

"Perhaps I should get to the prep room myself," He stated calmly, attempting to change the subject. He knew he'd be taking on Ashido after Iida's match and any excuse to get out of this conversation before he ended up saying something he shouldn't.

"Oh... okay," Kouda muttered glumly, his eyes downcast slightly. "I'll go watch with the others, good luck."

Tokoyami couldn't help the frown forming on his face as Kouda walked off, sighing quietly to himself as he realized he'd basically sent across the message that he didn't want to talk with Kouda. Given their close friendship, Tokoyami felt all the worse for his choice, but he needed to get Shouji alone, he was the only person he could trust with his theory.

But still, he'd need to make it up to Kouda later.

"You have something else to say?" Shouji asked as Tokoyami leaned against the corner of the hall, a short distance from Midoriya's room.

"I know who the man is," Tokoyami replied in a low voice, his eyes darting back towards the medical room, then back to Shouji as they turned the corner, the hospital room out of view.

Only, they didn't hear the door slide open or the blonde-haired man's footsteps as he stepped into the hallway, nor did they realize their voices were carrying over to where he was standing.

"You know who he is?" Shouji replied. "Why didn't you say so before?"

"Because if I'm right, Kouda can't know," Tokoyami replied. "Nobody can. Except us." Shouji's dead silence at this was enough of a prompt for Tokoyami to continue. "I think that man was All Might."

"All Might?" Shouji replied, clear surprise in his tone. He wasn't expecting that.

"Before we left the room, I heard Midoriya say that he couldn't do it. He's only been focused on one thing this whole time, right?" Tokoyami explained, hoping Shouji would connect the dots.

Shouji seemed to understand, replying, "You mean he was telling that man that he couldn't show the world who he was? That would only make sense if-"

"-If he was talking with All Might, yeah," Tokoyami explained.

Neither of them noticed that the subject of their talk had actually stealthily moved his way down the hallway, nor that he was listening in on their conversation quietly from the other side of the corner.

"All Might looking so... Tired..." Shouji thought aloud. "That's nothing like the teacher we know."

"That is true. But Midoriya said that All Might had chosen him as his successor, so perhaps his power is... well, waning?" The thought that the Number One Hero's power was actually weakening, the gravity of his suggestion seemed to hit the pair at once. Tokoyami had to wonder, if that was the case, how the hell Midoriya was able to cope with so much pressure.

" **And Tenya Iida advances to the Final Four!"** A loud booming voice shouted, Tokoyami's beak curling in anticipation as he realized it was his match up next.

He'd be facing off against Ashido Mina, the gossip girl and loud mouth of the class. She'd enjoyed teasing the boys about crushes and feelings and emotions, yet she had a confident power to back her up. And on top of that, she had a grudge against him for not only beating Momo, but for his attitude towards her earlier during the day.

"You can do this, Toko," Shouji stated, motioning for them to start walking back to the Stadium, unaware that All Might himself had been listening in on their conversation the entire time. And as their voices faded off, the Pro Hero could only look at his protege's medical room with anticipation.

He'd have to confront his student about this.

* * *

Tokoyami had bid Shouji farewell just by the stairwell leading to the prep rooms. The taller man had wished for his success, while also warning him not to let Ashido's teasing get to his head. Any of that playfulness in his voice from back in Midoriya's match against Shinso was gone, and while Tokoyami was grateful for the peace, he knew that something was still off with Shouji.

Sure, the taller man was back to his usual self, but with slightly less energy, perhaps if Shouji got a chance to talk to Todoroki?

 **"You ready for the bug girl,"** Dark Shadow asked as they headed through the tunnel towards the arena, Tokoyami nodding.

"Ashido's acid is potent so I can't get close to her, meaning I'll be relying on you once more, Dark Shadow." The boy couldn't help but feel like he was over-relying on his Quirk, but given his two opponents he'd been matched with, he'd had no choice but to rely on Dark Shadow's long range capabilities.

 **"Alright, we've got this!"** Dark Shadow exclaimed. **"We're winning for Midoriya and Shouji too, right?"**

Tokoyami's sharp pause at that, as he turned to see his Quirk staring at him with those weirdly hopeful yellow eyes of his, Tokoyami couldn't help but let a small smirk cross his face at that. Dark Shadow was hopeless, but he had to admit, that confidence was what kept Tokoyami believing in both of Midoriya's matches.

"Hmph, that's right. We'll win for them," He replied. And not once was his mind focused on his parents as he stepped out onto the fighting stage.

"She's the self proclaimed queen of the aliens! Her acid makes her a tough opponent, it's Mina Ashido of the Hero Course!" Present Mic boomed as Tokoyami entered the fighting grounds, noticing that Mina had already gotten to the field by the time he emerged.

Her dark yellow and black eyes were trained on him from the moment he stepped out from the shadows, Dark Shadow shrinking ever so slightly in the light. She brushed a hand through her pink curly hair and smiled to the crowd, but her eyes never left her opponent.

"And he's the indestructible shadow in the night! He took down a recommended student in a flash and is looking for his next win, it's Fumikage Tokoyami, also of the Hero Course!"

Tokoyami looked to the crowd, face solemn and focused, though he couldn't help but revel in the attention that the battle was getting. He may not be one for over-exposure, but he had to admit that facing off against his peers in such an environment had left him wanting more. Perhaps Dark Shadow's thirst for battle was seeping through, but he didn't care.

"Hey Tokoyami! I still remember what you said to me! How Dark Shadow said you could beat me with your eyes closed!" She growled out, angrily. "I'd love to see you try it!"

"Perhaps I will," He replied calmly, then lowering his voice to address his Quirk. "If I close my eyes, you think you can take her?"

 **"Just watch me."** Dark Shadow's voice was confident, but unlike his previous joking statements, there was nothing funny about his tone. He was serious.

"You won't ignore me after I beat you!" Ashido called out confidently, raising her hands to summon some acid, though she looked to Present Mic's booth for the countdown to begin.

Tokoyami responded by lowering his eye lids and closing his eyes.

"Tokoyami is closing his eyes before the match even starts!?" Present Mic roared in surprise. "Is this a new technique? Or is he that crazy? Either way, the match begins in three, two, one, START!"

"Dark Shadow!" He shouted out, his Quirk bursting into action in an instant, his eyes shutting out the battlefield, only able to feel Dark Shadow's pull and the sounds around them.

 **"Got it!"** His Quirk replied, slicing forwards through the air towards Mina in an instant.

Her surprise was evident at Dark Shadow's fast speed, her eyes widening, mouth gasping in surprise, acid flying from her hands in an attempt to scare the Quirk away, however the acid seemed to phase through the darkness like it was nothing, landing on the floor of the field with a dull thud. Tokoyami had been right about the acid being a problem for people with normal skin like himself, but for his Quirk, there was no such issue as the acid phased through Dark Shadow without hindrance.

One slice was all it took, Dark Shadow's claws raking themselves across the blocked arms of their opponent, Ashido sliding backwards out of the ring in an instant, crashing into a heap on the floor near Midnight, the woman surprised at just how quickly the match had ended before lifting her whip.

"Ashido is out of bounds! Tokoyami moves on to the next round!" She announced, Tokoyami's eyes fluttering open, ready to take in his victory off the field, but not before he walked over towards Ashido to greet her. He felt he owed her that much given he didn't look at her during the battle.

She watched him approach with a childish frown on her face, but as they got close, she couldn't help but punch him lightly on the side of the arm in annoyance. "You actually beat me with your eyes closed? Seriously?"

 **"I told you,"** Dark Shadow deadpanned from next to the pair of them.

"In all fairness Ashido, he did give you ample warning," Tokoyami shrugged, looking at his rather pleased Quirk with a proud smile.

"Fine, fine, I guess you really are good at this whole fighting thing," She muttered, the pair of them suddenly finding themselves being shooed off the stage by Midnight, who was preparing everyone for the next match.

They had taken a few paces into the dark tunnel when Ashido turned to look at the bird-headed boy with a sheepishly embarrassed expression, a lopsided smile on her face. "Sorry about earlier. I got a little carried away, what with all the pressure and all. But hey, I made Top Eight and I get to watch the rest of the fights, right!" She smiled, her face carefree.

"No... problem?" Tokoyami replied hesitantly.

Her emotions had done a complete one-hundred and eighty since Midnight had announced the winner, and he was wondering how much of her speech was real and how much of it was her trying to deny the loss until she was somewhere more private. He had to feel like the latter was more realistic, or perhaps she really was content.

Either way, she sauntered off towards the stands with a wave of her hand before he could stop her, leaving him alone in one of the corridors of the building.

"Great," He muttered, folding his arms as he began the long walk to the stands, hoping to get there for the next match, Bakugou VS Kirishima. That was a match he didn't want to miss, seeing as he'd be facing the victor.

So his breath caught in his throat as he turned a corner, slamming into something particularly tough.

He slipped backwards to the floor in surprise, only for his eyes to widen even more as the rather imposing figure of All Might stood in front of him.

"Hello Young Tokoyami," All Might grinned, voice deadly serious.

 _"Oh no,"_ Was all he could think.


	39. All Might's Request? Confronting Izuku!

**Chapter 39 - All Might's Request!? Confronting Izuku!?**

"Hello, Young Tokoyami."

It took every fiber of willpower that Tokoyami had to not attempt to retreat from the rather imposing figure standing in front of him. All Might, his bright blonde hair, soldered chiseled expression and beaming smile stood before him, but for the first time since arriving at U.A, Tokoyami wasn't feeling a sense of happiness or safety from the teacher. No, his face looked severe, his brows lowered in such a way that it almost looked like he was scowling maniacally.

"A-All Might," He stammered, finally picking himself up from the ground where he'd landed, Dark Shadow retreating around his shoulders as he did. "I didn't see you there, my apolo-"

"It's quite alright," The taller teacher stated calmly, waving off the boy with a single gesture. "I was looking for you."

Tokoyami was already beginning to feel a sense of panic inside of him, welling up just under the surface. Why was All Might looking for him? Had he discovered the truth that Tokoyami was aware about his Quirk?

"For me?" He asked, keeping his voice lowered and steady. The last thing he needed was to give the game away.

The Number One Hero gave a curt nod. "Indeed, I want to talk with you after the festivities have ended." All Might explained, that smile never leaving his face, though Tokoyami couldn't help but feel the Hero was analyzing him, interrogating him without a question as they spoke. It was unnerving. "If you could meet me at the Teacher's Lounge at the school, and bring Young Shouji and Young Midoriya with you, if you could."

Shouji and Midoriya too? There was no way that was just a coincidence. All Might had to be aware, and while he was feeling extremely uncomfortable, he had to know.

"What do you need to talk about?" He asked lowly, not expecting a reply.

But the reply he got confirmed his theory and chilled him to the core. "You know exactly what we need to talk about, Tokoyami." The absence of his usual 'Young' as he said his name told him all he needed to know, but All Might wasn't done, turning away, back facing to Tokoyami. "I'd recommend checking around corners before discussing private information. Especially so close to Midoriya's hospital room."

Tokoyami's eyes widened, choking back a startled gasp as All Might walked off back into the corridor, leaving the bird-headed boy absolutely mortified.

 **"He sure knows how to scare a student, doesn't he,"** Dark Shadow casually remarked, slinking to the side of Fumikage's shoulder uncomfortably. **"What now?"**

Tokoyami didn't reply, feet still stuck where they were, glued to the ground. He couldn't find the willpower to push himself forwards after such an intensely critical encounter, now feeling extremely terrified to the core.

Sure, All Might didn't want people knowing about Izuku's Quirk, but the serious look in the Hero's eyes... If looks could kill, Tokoyami wouldn't be standing there anymore.

 **"Fumikage, come on,"** Dark Shadow whined, his yellow pupils gazing at his host's blank stare.

Dark Shadow sighed, shrugging his own shoulders before slapping straight at the back of Tokoyami's neck. The intense pain that hit for a moment caused Tokoyami to stagger forwards, eyes blinking in shock, his face contorting from the pain of his Quirk's smack. "Damnit, Dark Shadow, that hurt!" He growled.

 **"That's the point. You weren't going to snap out of it any other way,"** His Quirk reasoned, Dark Shadow slinking back into his host's body for a quiet rest. **"Now go give the news to Shouji."**

"I was going to," Tokoyami replied weakly, secretly glad that his Quirk had gotten him out of his stupor relatively quickly.

He made his way down the corridor, eyes glancing everywhere on the off chance that someone was listening in. With confirmation that he'd been overheard, he wasn't interested in a repeat performance, noticing nobody new on his way back to the main stairwell, though he did pass by a rather alarmingly animated Kirishima, who apparently was going to be late if he didn't get a move on, so Tokoyami let him be on his way.

He climbed the stairwell, making his way back to their stands as quickly as he could. He needed to tell Shouji.

Vaulting up the last few steps, he quickly made his way to the stands where he could see the rest of Class 1-A were sitting. Ashido and Momo had taken themselves off to the side with the girls, both looking glum, yet they instantly perked up as he entered, giving him smiles and waves. He didn't care though.

Shouji and Kouda were sitting together with Uraraka and Tsuyu, who had moved over from the girls, and were chatting about something he couldn't hear, until Tsuyu pointed him out with a croak. Iida was nowhere to be found.

"Good job out there Tokoyami," She stated coolly, the others turning to see him as well, but as they viewed him, various frowns began to settle on their faces.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked casually, attempting to lift the sudden drop in the atmosphere, but Shouji shut his worries with a shake of his head.

"You look exhausted," The taller boy said. "Did something happen on the way back?"

Tokoyami grimaced. Shouji hit the nail right on the head, no questions asked, while Kouda had now approached him, placing a hand on his arm. "Are you alright, Tokoyami? Did Dark Shadow...?"

Kouda's last words were a whisper, but Tokoyami shook his head in denial, Kouda looking visibly relieved at that. He must have thought Dark Shadow was causing trouble again, like back at the USJ.

"I just ran into All Might, that's all," He explained, not bothering to hide his escapade from the others. Running into a teacher wasn't such a big deal given they were students after all. "Shouji, he wants us to meet him at the Teacher's Lounge after the festival with Midoriya, he wanted me to pass the message on."

"All Might wants to meet with you two, privately!?" Mineta barked from behind the group, a suspicious look crossing his face. "Why would the Number One Hero, All Might, want to meet with you two?"

Tokoyami shrugged his shoulders, not bothering with a response as he settled down next to Shouji, ignoring the grape demon's antics as he noticed that Kirishima and Bakugou had already started their fight. He wanted to pay attention, but his mind was still on All Might's words.

The distraction was clear as day, given a few moments later, he noticed Shouji move a rather sneaky mouth and ear down towards him discreetly.

"Does he know?" Was all his friend asked, tone severe.

"Yes," He replied stiffly. "He overheard us earlier at the Recovery Ward."

"Well then..."

"Yep..."

It seemed that Shouji was at just as much of a loss for words as Tokoyami himself was. The taller boy's arms were now folded, retracting his mouth and ear back into hands with a simple movement, but the tension in his posture was something Tokoyami could see.

After a week of staying at Shouji's place, he'd begun to notice different habits with the taller man. When he was happy, his eyes would be warm and sometimes his mask would crinkle into a smile. He was quite physical with his emotions and was the sort of guy who would slap you on the back for a job well done. But during his sadder days, Tokoyami would notice the slight slouch of his lower two hands, or the tenseness of his muscles. However this time, his posture was rigid and tight, wound up like a spring.

Shouji was nervous, extremely so, and Tokoyami didn't know how to feel.

However when the crowd gasped in shock, Tokoyami's head snapped to the battle unfolding below. He'd not been paying attention, but seeing Bakugou slam his hand into Kirishima's side, only for the red-head to actually feel the damage, that was enough to bring him back to the action. Right, he'd be fighting one of them in the next match.

He'd been so distracted by All Might, he hadn't had the chance to analyze their attacks or battle style, but as Bakugou began to blast Kirishima with more powerful explosion attacks, it became clear what side was winning the fight, and he couldn't help the dread settling in his stomach.

 **"Those explosions..."** Dark Shadow hissed, settling next to Tokoyami's right shoulder. **"He's ferocious."**

"We can be ferocious too," Tokoyami replied tersely.

 **"Do you have a plan?"** Dark Shadow asked thoughtfully.

Tokoyami honestly wasn't sure... But he didn't have much time to think about it as Bakugou slammed another flurry of explosions into Kirishima, knocking the red-haired boy to the ground to his demise in the Festival.

"Kirishima is unable to battle! Bakugou will move on to the Final Four!" Midnight announced.

Uraraka was the first to turn towards him, Kouda following suit, the pair of them looking extremely alarmed.

"What?" He asked, turning to them.

Uraraka spoke up first, brushing a strand of brunette hair from her face as she looked at him. "Bakugou's explosions emit light." It was a simple statement, but he understood immediately what she was getting at, Kouda nodding at her words in agreement.

"Do you have any strategies to counter the light?" Shouji asked curiously.

Tokoyami huffed silently. His training with Aizawa was to allow Dark Shadow the power to move around at a more powerful pace during the day, but training against an onslaught of explosive attacks? That wasn't something he had experience with. How would Bakugou's rapid-fire assault compare to his training? Midoriya had seemed to think so in his notes, believing in Tokoyami's bond with his Quirk quite heavily.

And he had to admit to himself, Dark Shadow was more than making up for his actions at the USJ by helping in any way he could, even going so far as to keep Tokoyami's emotions in check to prevent any loss of control. The bond he had with his Quirk was actually more personal now than it had ever been before, having been taught to keep Dark Shadow completely in check from a young age.

Perhaps this bond would allow him to succeed against his opponent? Who knew.

"I've been training to deal with my weakness," He explained in a low voice. "I'm not sure if I can hold out against Bakugou's rather extreme attacks, but I won't hold back."

"You'll win," Shouji muttered from his side, Kouda nodding in agreement.

As the next match was beginning to be announced, Iida VS Todoroki, Tokoyami took his leave of his usual group to head straight for the prep room, his feathers still on edge from the nerves that were beginning to reform in his stomach. Unlike the battle with Ashido, he felt very much in danger of being knocked out of the ring and...

His mind finally drifted back to his parents, watching at home. His mother's threat, a mere memory in his mind. He found himself thinking about what she'd be saying right now, if she'd actually decided to call him during the break in his fights. Would she be proud that he made it as far as he did, or would she be glad that he was finally up against someone who had a very valid Quirk advantage against him?

What about his father? Would he be ashamed that Tokoyami was unable to win after having so much money pumped into hiring Airdriver as a tutor? Would he be happy to see that his son had managed the Top Four in the world's biggest sporting event? Or would he just sit back and allow his mother to decide his fate for herself.

Either way, he found that despite these thoughts being in the forefront of his mind, they weren't causing as much pressure as they had been during the Cavalry Battle. Sure, he had to pass to prove to his parents that he was worthy of being a Hero, able to take care of himself, but he wasn't sure when but at some point along the way during the last few hours, he'd moved past the stress of it all.

His parents were no longer holding him back and his eyes were opened to what he wanted to be, a Hero who helped others before himself, someone who was willing to go the extra mile to prove a point and save a friend. Basically, he wanted to be like Midoriya and he found there was no shame in aspiring to be like his colleague, who was working so hard to be like the Number One Hero, All Might.

As he was one floor away from the ground floor, that was when he noticed a figure standing on the balcony overlooking the Stadium. A familiar looking figure who he had last seen in a hospital bed.

"Midoriya?" He called out, running over to his friend who turned around with his usual nervous smile.

Midoriya had sustained serious injuries since his battle with Todoroki, but Tokoyami had only seen them via the hospital bed. Looking at him now, Midoriya's right arm was in a cast, while his left was healed enough to walk. He had a plaster across his face and his shirt had been removed, with his tracksuit jacket covering his torso, his sleeves hanging limply as he couldn't put his arms through the holes.

But despite his conditioning, his eyes lit up as he saw who it was. "Tsuku!" He replied eagerly. "I heard from Iida that you made the Top Four!"

"Mhm, I took Ashido down quite quickly," He replied, his beak curving into a smile. "Did your surgery go well?"

Midoriya, rather than replying, held out his left hand. There, stretched across the palm on both sides, was a large scar, like the cut of a knife. Midoriya moved his hand slightly, a small crackle emanating from the wounded limb. "I've got battle wounds that Recovery Girl couldn't heal, but she sorted out the worst of it."

"That scar... Midoriya, are you sure you're alright?" Tokoyami asked curiously.

"Heh, I thought I'd be sadder but I think I'm okay. All Might was proud of my performance, he believed in me and that's all I really wanted to prove. But I had to save Todoroki, y'know." Midoriya's smile seemed to light up the air around them as the black haired boy with his green highlights looked proud of his handiwork. "But what about you, Tsuku? You're against Kacchan next, are you ready for him?"

"Can't say I'm as confident as everyone else is in my chances," He admitted sheepishly, leaning against the railing of the Stadium stands. "You wrote in your notes that the bond between Dark Shadow and I could help us beat Bakugou, do you believe that?"

Midoriya's face went red at that, Tokoyami holding out the notebook that he'd borrowed to hand it back to it's rightful owner. The slightly taller boy quickly grabbed it and placed it in his pocket. "I do," He finally said quietly.

"That's all I needed to hear," Tokoyami interrupted as Midoriya was working up some sort of speech about the issue, but honestly Tokoyami wasn't bothered... though he did remember one thing that he wanted to bring up about the notebook. "Actually Midoriya, you said you didn't have many notes on me, but..." He paused, the boy in front of him shrinking back every so slightly, face growing redder.

"You know where I'm going with this, don't you," Tokoyami stated. Midoriya didn't respond, looking to the floor embarrassingly. "There were more notes on me in there than there were on half the class."

"W-Well I may have lied a little," Midoriya mumbled awkwardly. "But I thought you might find it weird that I did so much research!"

Tokoyami snorted. "Midoriya, how long have we talked with each other? I'm well aware of your research habits from our _many_ discussions on Pro Heroes before our days at U.A."

"You're right, you're right," Midoriya groaned, face still a bright red. Tokoyami couldn't help feeling accomplished at having embarrassed Midoriya for once after the boy had inadvertently managed to embarrass him across the day.

 **"Would you two just get a room already?"** Dark Shadow suddenly snapped jovially, Midoriya turning a shade of tomato while Tokoyami instantly slammed his hand against his Quirk's head in annoyance. So much for a powerful bond.

"Well, I better get back to Uraraka, Shouji and the others," Midoriya finally announced after looking away from Tokoyami from sheer mortification, stepping away from the railing they were leaning on. But before he took off, he took a deep breath, turned to his friend and said, "Good luck Tsuku!"

But as Midoriya took off to leave, clearly wanting to escape before Dark Shadow said another embarrassing tidbit, Tokoyami grabbed at his shoulder gently, knowing that while he wanted to put it off, he knew he'd have to bring up the big elephant in the room.

"Actually Midoriya, there's something else. Something... important," Tokoyami muttered, his voice lowering.

Midoriya must have noticed the change in his tone, turning around slowly, his green eyes meeting Tokoyami's own with an uncertain look. "What is it?"

Tokoyami took a deep breath, wishing he could just not tell the boy. But Midoriya needed to know. "All Might came to talk with me after my last match. I think, well..." Tokoyami's voice trailed off.

"Tokoyami?" Midoriya asked.

"He knows about Shouji and I," Tokoyami finally got out. "About One for All."

Midoriya didn't react at first, but as his mind seemed to process that statement, his face suddenly became a lot more concerned, that tell tale panic coming back into his expression, but not the same panic that Tokoyami was feeling. No, it was more like he'd just been discovered stealing from a cookie jar or something, a more childlike innocence about it.

"How did he find out?" Midoriya asked incredulously. "I thought you guys had it under wraps."

"He overheard Shouji and I outside your room while you were having surgery," Tokoyami explained with a frown. "It's our fault, not yours."

But Midoriya had already entered his own little world. "He's going to kill me, he's going to kill me, he's going to kill me after we just had an emotional moment," He muttered more to himself than anyone else.

"If it makes you any calmer, he wants to meet us after the festival at the Teacher's Lounge. Perhaps we can explain our side of the story there and show how it wasn't your fault," Tokoyami explained. "Like Shouji said earlier, perhaps it's time to let him know that we know."

But as he went to comfort his friend, Present Mic's voice booming across the pitch alerted them to Iida's match about to begin, Tokoyami quickly taking off into a run before the other boy could say anything as he realized he needed to get to his prep-room now. "I'll see you later!"

Midoriya was left standing there, unsure of what to do next, his face conflicted, but he finally moved forwards, heading up to the stands to watch the matches in the final four.

And Tokoyami was left rushing to the prep room, preparing himself for his next encounter, hoping it would not be his last.

* * *

 **I skimmed over a lot of the fights in this chapter since I didn't find them to be too terribly important. Plus, the characters were distracted. I had far too much fun writing the All Might scene. I hope I made him imposing enough, I wanted to give the idea that he wasn't simply a Hero/Teacher, but someone who was definitely on to Tokoyami.**

 **And we finally get some good old Tokoyami/Midoriya fluff, but Shouji fans worry not, while Midoriya's fairly important in the Sport's Festival Arc, Shouji will have high relevancy in the Hero Internship Arc since we can't really change what Midoriya gets up to.**

 **The chapter title is a reference to the All Might/Tokoyami discussion scene and Tokoyami confronting Izuku about his notebook. More dramatic than it actually turned out to be.**


	40. Tokoyami VS Bakugou!

**Chapter 40 - Tokoyami VS Bakugou!?**

For a single moment, there was silence. The battle between Iida and Todoroki had ended extremely quickly, although given the two fighters there was no surprise there. Iida had attempted to use his Recipro Burst technique to speed Todoroki out of the ring as speedily as he could, however his mistake was revealing his trump card so soon. Todoroki, as well as the rest of the class, were aware of his technique from the Cavalry Battle, so any element of surprise was lost and Todoroki had taken full advantage of this.

Freezing up Iida's exhaust pipes, he was able to stop the class rep in place before sending the fast student to an icy end. Todoroki encased Iida's lower body in ice, forcing him to tap out of the fight. Such was the power of his classmates, Tokoyami mused, sitting in the Prep Room awaiting the call for his own match, which he knew was coming up soon.

Tokoyami couldn't help the tenseness of his arms as he tried to work out the kinks in his muscles, trying to ensure he was physically ready to take on the beast of the class, Katsuki Bakugou. The boy who had pledged to win the Festival over everyone else, and he knew that to his opponent, he was just a hurdle to overcome, an obstacle in the way, not a classmate.

That ruthlessness, it left him feeling more concerned about the battle to come. Bakugou wasn't known for taking pity on his opponents, though nobody expected that from the boy who's catchphrase was "Die", but still, to be on the potential receiving end of one of these battles wasn't something he wished to experience.

It didn't help that Bakugou had a clear disdain for him since they first met. Even at the Entrance Exam, Bakugou had called him out in front of everyone angrily before they'd gotten started. And since then, he's just been known as "Bird-fucker" to the other boy. Tokoyami couldn't help but relish in the fact that he might be able to win if he played his cards right, get his own back on the other boy.

 **"I won't hold back,"** Dark Shadow thought quietly, as Tokoyami glanced to the clock on the wall. Still a few minutes before he needed to go. More time to think.

"I know you won't," Tokoyami replied.

His Quirk was shadow based, thriving in the darkness. So Bakugou's light-based explosion Quirk was the exact counter to his own. His mind had raced through the possible outcomes, but he had to admit it wasn't looking good. There was a very high chance he'd be experiencing a loss in the ring if he wasn't one-hundred percent ready for the fight.

His real concern though was Dark Shadow's own power. Their bond technique allowed Tokoyami to use his own strength to boost Dark Shadow's power in the daylight, making his Quirk strong enough to fight back and battle opponents at a higher level. He hadn't needed to use it so far in the tournament, but he knew Bakugou was the exception.

Only they hadn't had much actually practice with their bond technique. One training session with Aizawa, a lot of meditating and Tokoyami shoving Dark Shadow in front of one of Shouji's desk lamps, much to the amusement of their host, was the most they'd been able to train. Given he wasn't able to fully commit after catching that fever, he wasn't sure if the technique would hold. It could certainly be much stronger than it currently was, but he didn't have many options.

And of course the one who taught him his new technique was one of the commentators. Aizawa had been very keen that morning on spurring Tokoyami to impress him in the ring, perhaps as a test of seeing how far he'd come with his training, but if he couldn't take down Bakugou, he knew his training would have been for nothing.

Then there was Midoriya, who had the utmost faith in the bond between Tokoyami and Dark Shadow to clinch victory. Tokoyami didn't want to let anyone down with this fight...

He glanced up at the clock once more, seeing it was time to head out to the Stadium. Picking himself up from the chair he'd seated himself on, he walked towards the door and out into the Hallway. Though he was surprised, as he walked out, to see Todoroki walking slowly towards him, probably to use the Prep Room.

Their eyes met for a moment, Todoroki giving a small, almost unnoticeable nod, to Tokoyami, who returned it in turn. He could tell the other boy didn't want to talk, probably deep in his own thoughts, but he was also grateful for it. They were both pretty much known as the class loners when it came to talking and that reputation meant they had a mutual understanding, at least.

He was glad to notice that the slight anger he'd felt that morning in the waiting room, when Todoroki declared war on Midoriya, had evaporated. Holding a grudge was too much work, after all.

Taking off down the hallway at a brisk walk, he traveled the now familiar pathway that led to the Stadium, listening to the loud cheers of the crowd as he emerged from the dark hall into the light of the field. He could see Bakugou stomping out at the other side, the boy not watching the crowd, his eyes locked on the only target that mattered, Tokoyami.

"He's blown away all of his competitors in explosive fashion and is two matches away from making his Pledge a reality, it's Katsuki Bakugou of the Hero Course!" Present Mic roared, the crowd going wild for Bakugou's name. He even thought he could see some Heroes holding Bakugou banners in the crowd, popularity caught on quick.

"But standing in his way, the dark horse of this competition, with his seemingly unstoppable Quirk that has won him his last two matches, it's Fumikage Tokoyami, also of the Hero Course!" Surprisingly, he noticed a large portion of the crowd began to cheer for him and he couldn't help the feeling of pride in his chest as he realized these people were impressed by him.

If this reaction didn't prove to his Mother that he could be a Hero, nothing would.

"You both know the rules by now," Midnight announced, turning to the pair of them as she spoke. "Either ring out your opponent or force them to surrender. Good luck!"

Midnight turned to look up at the commentator booth, giving them the signal to start, before stepping back off of the field.

"Alright, everybody get ready, because this is going to be a tough battle! Three, two, one..."

Katsuki's fists clenched, a few miniature explosions popping off as he waited, a snarl on his face. Tokoyami, meanwhile, summoned Dark Shadow into his battle stance, staring down his opponent without fear.

 **"Start!** **"**

"Dark Shadow!" He called out quickly, wanting to get the first move. "Dive at him with everything you've got!"

Dark Shadow didn't reply, speeding out from Tokoyami's side towards their opponent, who was standing still as he did during Uraraka's battle. Tokoyami wasn't sure if he was going to use the same tactics as he did then, but from what he knew, in his battle against Uraraka he'd started with a right hook.

"Come on then," Bakugou sneered, taking a solitary step forwards as Dark Shadow drew in close.

As Dark Shadow's claw swiped forwards in an attempt to slam into Bakugou, the sandy haired boy quickly raised his left hand and slammed it into the darkness that made up his Quirk. Dark Shadow recoiled instantly, moving to retreat before Bakugou's attack could seriously damage him. Tokoyami felt the shudder across their mental link, grimacing. Bakugou's power was definitely the real deal.

"For the first time, Tokoyami's Dark Shadow is unable to damage his opponent!" Present Mic roared, everyone in the arena gasping. "Could Bakugou's power be too much for his Quirk to handle?"

Tokoyami shook off their words, launching himself forwards towards Bakugou in an attempt to be the aggressor. From Kirishima's battle, he knew that the moment Bakugou went on the offensive, he'd be relentless, so he couldn't let him have that opportunity.

Dark Shadow dove in for more swipes, Tokoyami attempting to focus their bond so that he could share his energy with his Quirk, but Bakugou was quick, slamming back at each swipe with an explosion of his own, though the light they were giving off wasn't as strong as his first attack. He was conserving his energy.

Bakugou had mentioned that even his Quirk had some sort of limit, though he had never explained what it was. Perhaps it had something to do with the amount of explosions he could use, or the power of which he used them. Either way, if he could just draw the battle out for long enough, he'd be able to tire his opponent out. With more stamina than Uraraka and more offensive capabilities than Kirishima, he at least stood a chance.

"What're you trying to do?" Bakugou growled as he swatted away another attack.

"Just trying to survive," Tokoyami replied with a shout as Dark Shadow was swatted back once more.

"Well too bad, die!" Bakugou roared, slamming his first forwards as a large explosion forced it's way out of his palms and straight into Dark Shadow.

Tokoyami had certainly seen Dark Shadow take harsh hits before, but none were as brutal as this as Dark Shadow scattered backwards into various particles, almost evaporated by the blast that they hadn't seen coming. Tokoyami stumbled backwards, teeth clenched as the wave of power from the attack hit him.

But he had no time to react, Bakugou launching himself forwards with another explosive strike.

"Dark Shadow!" He roared, his Quirk reforming to block the attack quickly, though he could see from his Quirk's eyes that he couldn't take too much more of this beating on his own.

"That's so freaking annoying!" Bakugou shouted, slamming another fist into Dark Shadow's form, the Quirk retreating back towards Tokoyami who was forced to take another step back.

"What bloodlust!" He muttered under his breath, feeling his Quirk humming in agreement. "We can't even get close anymore."

 **"His attacks are too powerful, Fumikage. I want to hold out, I really do, but-"**

Tokoyami knew he had to act fast, before another explosion was sent his way. Dark Shadow wouldn't be able to defend against another attack without his help, he needed to access their link. His mind quickly flashed to the imagery that Aizawa had once described, two wavelengths, one his own, the other his Quirk's. He needed to access his own reserves of energy and feed them through to Dark Shadow.

Closing his eyes for an instant, he could see the lines. And without hesitation, he reached for the energy he knew was his own, forcing Dark Shadow's limited waning power into the background, though he found that unlike the first time they had accessed this power, Dark Shadow was offering no resistance whatsoever. Clearly, they both knew it was for the best.

"Block him, Dark Shadow!" He shouted, his Quirk forming once more against Bakugou's attacks, only this time there was a difference, for as Bakugou's explosion slammed into the Quirk, the effects of his attacks had weakened.

"What's this? It seems that Tokoyami's Dark Shadow has toughened itself up against Bakugou's attacks!" Present Mic roared.

"Impressive Quirk usage..." Aizawa drawled.

Tokoyami was surprised by that, but would dwell on his teacher's praise another time. He needed to stay focused on the fight. Because now Bakugou was slamming attack after attack into Dark Shadow, one after the other at a rapid flurry. And while Dark Shadow was able to stay formed, he still wasn't able to push through to actually attack the other boy.

 _"I underestimated him,"_ He thought grimly. _"Even with our power boost, if we can't attack him, he'll just keep up the offense. Dark Shadow and I just need to endure his attacks until one of us tires out, that will decide it."_

More attacks slammed into Dark Shadow, Tokoyami feeling the brunt of them beginning to affect him. He wouldn't be able to keep up the power boost for very long, otherwise he'd have no energy to even move. Flashbacks to his collapse invaded his mind as he began to realize he couldn't afford to overexert himself again.

Bakugou launched forwards through the air, slamming another first down at Dark Shadow, who diligently managed to block the attack, though once again, Dark Shadow was ripping apart at the seams. "Hold on just a little longer!" He growled to his Quirk, gritting his teeth as he withstood another blow from his opponent.

But as Bakugou's last attack hit, the boy was suspended in air for a moment, left wide open for Tokoyami to counter.

"Grab him Dark Shadow!" He shouted, his Quirk raising a claw upwards to grasp at their opponent. But in that moment, Tokoyami realized he'd made a very big mistake. One of Bakugou's hands touched onto the darkness of his Quirk, lighting up with a blast that sent the sandy-haired boy flying over the top of them.

Tokoyami couldn't even react as Dark Shadow dove towards Bakugou, who landed on the ground with his hands outstretched, a deadly look on his face. And his hands were beginning to spark with light.

"Bakugou has managed to get behind Tokoyami and his Quirk, in an acrobatic fashion!" Present Mic roared, the crowd going wild for this development.

But as Dark Shadow lunged towards Bakugou for one last ditch effort, Bakugou roared out in brutal fashion, "Stun Grenade."

In that moment, the world went white, an explosive power rocking Tokoyami off of his feet, slamming him to the ground in an instant, his Quirk being instantly repelled back to the ground as dust and debris were flung across the stadium. He felt himself hit the floor, stuck in place, while the world around him began to quieten down. Or was that just the ringing in his ears...?

That was when he felt it, a hand right on his beak, holding him to the ground, and as the dust began to clear it became very obvious just what had happened.

"So you knew somehow..." He muttered coldly.

"It was obvious after enough hits. It was a bad match-up for you, what a pity." Bakugou stood over him, one hand on his beak, the other in the air shooting small sparks at Dark Shadow, who had curled backwards in defeat. "Checkmate."

Tokoyami felt Bakugou's hand clench tighter around his beak, causing him to grimace in pain. He knew what the other wanted him to do, knew what he was expected to do, but something deep inside still wanted to fight. To lose like this, he couldn't bear it. If he could just move his arms... But that was when he realized it wasn't just Bakugou's grip that was keeping him down.

He was completely spent on stamina. The sheer power of Bakugou's attacks had chipped away at his strength much more than he'd realized. And Dark Shadow wasn't looking too good either, unable to form a coherent thought thanks to the damage he'd sustained.

He didn't want to. He couldn't. Everyone believed in him, was counting on him... His parents were watching this.

But there was no choice.

"...I give."

Bakugou released his hand, stepping back instantly at hearing those words.

"Tokoyami has surrendered! Bakugou wins and will move on to the Final Match against Todoroki!" Midnight announced to the stadium, who all burst into cheers at the results.

Tokoyami pushed himself up with what little strength he had, trying to play off his fatigue until he at least was in the safety of the stadium's corridors. Bakugou met his gaze one more time, the fierceness in his eyes remaining. "I'll give you this," He stated, looking straight at Tokoyami. "You put up a fight."

He blinked in surprise. Did Bakugou just... praise him?

"Thanks, you too," He replied nonchalantly, before turning away from the scene. He slowly walked off, hoping that his walk was playing off as stoic and calm, as opposed to him simply not having the energy to walk very fast. He'd lost too much power through those attacks, he'd need to work on his technique in the future if he wanted to ever face Bakugou again.

As he finally ducked his way into the corridor leading back towards the prep room and the main stairwell, that was when he let the fatigue wash over him, his muscles crying out in pain as he almost doubled over from the amount of energy he'd been forced to exert in the fight.

A week before in Aizawa's training, the fatigue had caught up with him at a much later time. But in his fight with Bakugou, not only was he exposed to natural sunlight, but severe attacks based on the light from the explosions. It had taken everything he had just to keep Dark Shadow from splitting apart, but it had certainly taken a very noticeable toll on his current state.

His breathing was labored and heavy, as he finally turned the corner that led down the stadium to the main stairwell. There were many benches that lined the walls of the corridor, so deciding not to chance it, he stumbled across to the nearest bench, flopping down onto it without much care. He breathed ragged, large gulps of air in an attempt to steady himself, but something felt amiss.

From the moment he left the stadium to the time he'd sat down, he couldn't feel Dark Shadow at all. They'd had tough training before, but normally it was Tokoyami who was left feeling exhausted, while Dark Shadow would usually make fun of his fatigue. Only this time, he could tell that the battle had taken a serious toll on his Quirk, who was barely visible at the end of the battle.

He assumed Dark Shadow had retreated within him to rest, but he couldn't be sure.

Either way, he didn't care at that point, his mind unable to really form a coherent feeling or emotion. If he wasn't so drained, he was sure he'd be feeling something. Whether it be happiness, sadness, pride... He wasn't sure. But he just couldn't feel anything.

There was dead silence for a few minutes, though it felt like he was sitting there for hours. With a twenty minute break between now and the final fight, he figured he'd have some time to waste before attempting the climb up to the stands, so he allowed himself to just seat there, mind blank as he tried not to think about anything. He just needed to rest.

A minute later, he felt the telltale pull of his Quirk, Dark Shadow's ghostly form snaking around his shoulders, much smaller than he was previously, though his bright yellow pinprick eyes were still gleaming ever brightly.

 **"We lost..."** Dark Shadow stated. **"Fumikage... Our parents..."**

"I know..." He replied despondently, leaning his head back against the wall behind him, watching the ceiling lights flickering up above. "I don't really know what to feel, Dark Shadow..."

 **"Neither do I..."**

They sat like that until he was sure at least ten minutes had passed, as sure as he could be given the lack of a clock. But still, he was finally beginning to feel in control of his body again, though he was still shattered from his fight. Small movements... Small movements.

"Tokoyami!?"

He did say small movements, but the sudden jerk of his neck as he turned towards the sound of that familiar voice was forgivable. For there, jogging towards him, looking rather panicked, was Shouji. And as Tokoyami looked at his friend, he found he didn't know what he wanted to say back. What could he say? He'd lost...

"You didn't come up to the stands after your match, everyone's worried about you," The taller boy explained, leaning down to Tokoyami's level as he noticed the boy was sitting down. Tokoyami gave a melancholic attempt at a smile, which quickly clued his friend to the fact that something was very wrong here. "Toko...? Are you alright?"

 **"Do we look alright?"** Dark Shadow hissed, voice sounding croaky and hoarse.

Tokoyami looked up to his friend, then to his Quirk, then back to the ground, his fists beginning to clench as he finally felt the wave of emotions that had been held at bay due to his exhaustion.

"I failed, Shouji..." He whispered, mentally noting that this was where his mind was going - To be upset.

He admittedly didn't think he'd be too thrilled about losing to Bakugou, but it suddenly dawned in his mind that he'd lost. Like it was all just hitting him in that moment. That his mother, if she was telling the truth, was going to kick him out or force him to transfer schools. He'd failed to live up to the expectations he'd set for himself, and that hurt most of all.

"You're an idiot if you think you failed, Toko," Shouji said softly, taking a seat on the bench next to his friend. "You got to the Top Four, only three other people here can say they did that."

"I failed my parents... My teachers... I could have won, Shouji," Tokoyami explained, his voice rising in pitch. "Had I just taken better care of myself, I could have trained my technique and learned how to master it. I-I... I..." Tokoyami spluttered, attempting to say something else, but his voice caught in his throat.

He admittedly wasn't one for emotions, especially publicly. He was a Hero and had to remain strong for everyone's sake, putting on a brave facade in the face of evil even when in reality he wanted to hide, or was scared.

But he found that after the stress of the day, that was too hard to keep up.

"Toko, are you crying?" Shouji asked quietly, his many arms wrapped around his friend, pulling him close. Shouji could see the mental exhaustion on his friend's face, everything culminating in this one moment, so the least he could do was be there to support his friend. "You're a Hero, Toko, you proved that."

Dark Shadow watched the pair in this moment, silent as the grave, his yellow eyes trailing up to Shouji's face where he could see the genuine concern in the other's eyes. Then down to his host who, while upset, still had the resolve to keep going underneath all that stress. Although Dark Shadow was surprised to see the tears in his host's eyes.

 **"He doesn't cry to just anyone, you know,"** Dark Shadow whispered to Shouji, just quietly enough so that Tokoyami wouldn't hear.

And then, out of the blue, a buzzing sound startled the trio out of their stupour, Tokoyami glancing down to see something vibrating in his pocket. Hesitantly, he reached in and pulled out his phone, where a text had apparently been sent to him, according to his lock screen. A text from his mother.

Before Shouji could even protest about reading the message, Tokoyami clicked the view button, wanting to get it over with.

And sitting on the screen, read - _"Fumikage, I'm sorry for not calling. But we want to say that... Well, we're proud of you. Watching you and Dark Shadow, I was wrong. You can take care of yourself, and you deserve to follow your dreams. Talk to you when you get home - Your Mother."_

Tokoyami was stunned into silence, Shouji reading over the message as well from behind his back, while Dark Shadow just watched Fumikage's tears grow more fierce.

 **"And we told Midoriya off for crying too much,"** Dark Shadow teased, but there was a jovial tone to his voice, Tokoyami chuckling through the tears.

"What did I tell you, Toko," Shouji whispered to his friend. "They're proud of you. You're such a softie, honestly."

"You tell anyone about this and I will get Mineta to do so many things that you'll have to stop," Tokoyami chuckled, though that familiar confidence in his voice was tearing through the tears.

"You're joking, aren't you," Shouji replied with an awkward laugh, hoping that was just a joke. Mineta and Tokoyami would never team up... would they? "Tokoyami, you are joking, right?"

Tokoyami just chuckled back, picking himself up from the bench, though he admittedly did lean on Shouji for support, until he felt the taller boy lift him up onto his usual perch on his back. "Try me, Shouji. Try me and see," He replied finally, his friend giving a loud laugh at that.

As the trio finally made their way back towards the stands, Tokoyami had to think about what just happened.

He hadn't let his parents down, he'd made them proud.

And he couldn't be happier.

* * *

 **I had always planned for Tokoyami to be upset after the loss against Bakugou, but I wanted to make it more subtle to start with. He doesn't cry much, and crying for Tokoyami is like a few tears, which is mainly what this was, but it's a pretty serious thing.**

 **Also - Bakugou didn't call him bird-fucker once! Progress! And funny story, this whole power that Tokoyami's trying to master was directly inspired by the scene in the manga where Tokoyami is sitting on the field after he gives up and you see slight trembling from his form. That small tremble turned into a full blown power and gave me a lot of creative freedom for the ending here!**

 **Next chapter, we'll be capping off the Sport's Festival, then we have the lovely chat with All Might and then we deal with Tokoyami's parents in more detail (Not all three of those things will be next chapter, but we'll see what we can do).**

 **And today's chapter title - Only Tokoyami VS Bakugou, didn't think there was a need for a secondary subject today.**


	41. Dark Shadow's Wingman Guide?

**Chapter 41 - Dark Shadow's Wingman Guide!?**

Tokoyami hung limply from Shouji's back as they climbed their way up the stairwell back to the main stands for the Festival, luckily with eight minutes to spare before the final fight which he very much wanted the chance to watch. He did have to admit though that this whole Shouji carrying him on his back thing was starting to become extremely frequent and Tokoyami couldn't help but wonder just how close they were to have this sort of physical friendship.

Shouji had carried him in the USJ when Dark Shadow first went off on his rampage, he'd carried him to school the morning after one of his nightmares, he'd carried him in his arms after his first training session with Aizawa and now he was carrying him up to the stands after he'd exhausted his energy using Dark Shadow. Honestly, it was starting to become the norm as opposed to the exception, and he found himself surprised that he wasn't bothered by that knowledge in the slightest.

The boy had come looking for Tokoyami before anybody else and seemed to have a sixth sense about when he was in a bad position, in danger or in need of help. They had only known each other for a month, but Tokoyami wondered just what he'd do without Shouji in his life. Helping him to face up to his parents, whilst supporting him every step of the way.

Shouji was a true friend.

But as they emerged into the stands, the rest of the class turning towards them, his eyes met with the other person who had been on his mind since day one.

Izuku Midoriya, his closest and first friend among the U.A students. He'd met him online via Hero forums six months prior to the U.A Entrance Exam and ever since, they'd clicked as fast friends. Of course, they didn't know who the other was initially until after the Entrance Exam, but he'd always make sure to chat with Midoriya when he could.

But then the USJ happened and the class began to bet on Midoriya's connection with All Might and suddenly Tokoyami found himself in the deep end, having discovered the secret of One for All from his classmate, relying the info to Shouji and promptly becoming closer to Midoriya as a result. But really, it was today, the day of the festival, that really solidified Tokoyami's respect for the boy.

They had bonded over their motivations and he'd gotten on well with Shouji to boot, plus they had worked together at multiple points in the tournament and were invested in each other's fights. However he did have to begrudgingly admit that all of the teasing from Uraraka, Shouji, Ashido and the others, certainly was a factor towards his friendship with Midoriya.

He didn't like to rank his friends, but he knew Midoriya and Shouji would be equal regardless of where they ended up. It didn't help that Dark Shadow was also fawning over the pair, constantly talk about how much he enjoyed their company and how they made Fumikage a tolerable human being.

But looking at Midoriya now, the boy who had inspired him to become the Hero he wanted to be, who was looking at him with a mixture of concern, relief and reassurance, he couldn't help but try to smile back.

"Why are you carrying Tokoyami, Shouji?" Tsuyu asked, hopping over to see what was going on, finger on her mouth in confusion.

"He was just taking a rest after his fight and I offered to carry him, that's all," Shouji replied without missing a beat.

But another reply hit them, though it wasn't Tsuyu this time. "You really like carrying him around, don't you Shouji," The voice of Jirou called out, Kouda next to her nodding in agreement. She was grinning straight at the taller male, who was refusing to reciprocate any expressions. "

"You fought really well Tokoyami," Uraraka exclaimed.

Tokoyami gave her a nod from behind Shouji's back, before finally slipping off onto one of the seats... Which just so happened to be next to Midoriya, because fate wanted to be as subtle as possible, having him sit between his two closest friends after his loss.

"I can't believe Bakugou took you down though," Ashido mumbled from a few seats away.

Momo nodded her head. "I must admit, watching you falter after defeating us so easily, it was hard to watch."

"Bakugou's crazy strong though," Kirishima added from the row above, pointing towards Uraraka, on the other side of Deku. "Us three couldn't beat the guy, Todoroki's the only one left who can take him down."

"Kacchan's strong, but if Todoroki uses his left side, he could have a serious advantage," Midoriya explained. "None of us have had a chance to really see his fire in action, so he'd be unpredictable, and even Kacchan would struggle with that."

"Bakugou is intelligent in battle," Tokoyami added as a counter-argument, leaning back in his seat as Dark Shadow decided to rest himself on Midoriya's shoulder. If the green-haired boy had a problem, he didn't seem to mind given as Dark Shadow did this, Midoriya actually went and scratched his neck like you would a dog.

Shouji nodded with Tokoyami. "Bakugou was able to figure out Tokoyami's weakness just through his battle alone. His ability to smash through Kirishima's hardening Quirk through his intuition, as well as his skill at not accidentally murdering Uraraka with an explosion, it points to a very collected fighter who just so happens to want his opponents to die."

"He didn't call me a bird-fucker for once, though," Tokoyami added with a small chuckle. "I would say that is progress on that front."

That got a few laughs from the other students, who all finally began to disperse into their own discussions once more, though it was only as everyone began to chat among themselves that Tokoyami noticed something rather odd. "Where's Iida?" He asked, looking to Midoriya and Uraraka. "Isn't he normally with you two?"

"He's taking a phone call," Uraraka explained, pointing down the railing to where they could see in the distance the form of Iida talking on the phone. "I hope he's alright. And you and Midoriya of course, you've all been fighting so hard since the first round."

"I already told you, I'm fine Uraraka," Midoriya nervously laughed, though the clear arm sling said otherwise.

"As am I. I wore myself out with our technique," He explained, pointing to Dark Shadow. "That's why Shouji carried me up here. I truly was not feeling ready for the walk."

"Like last week?" Midoriya asked, the concern that was in his eyes now inflected in his tone. "Are you sure you're alright? If that technique hurts you-"

 **"You've got no room to talk, Mr. I'm going to crack my thumb in my mouth to fire a shockwave even though my fist is broken."** Midoriya shifted his head to his right, looking straight into the eyes of Dark Shadow, who had the biggest grin on his face, while Tokoyami was nodding to his Quirk's suggestion.

"Naming aside, he is right. Though self-sacrifice is an important aspect of being a true hero," Tokoyami explained. "Recovery Girl once told me that if you need healing, it's because you were right there in the action doing what you could. If that's not being a Hero, I'm not sure what is."

Midoriya shrugged in defeat, realizing he'd been just a little bit hypocritical. "I guess you're right, I'm just worried about you Tsuku," Deku admitted with a sheepish grin, a light red blush dusting his cheeks as he said it.

Tokoyami couldn't help the feeling in his chest at that sight.

"As am I," Shouji added. "Your well being is of the utmost importance, I'd rather you not hurt yourself because you're just as important as anyone else." Though the mask was hiding his face, the slight stammer in which Shouji delivered his words and the very faint pink on his cheeks told Tokoyami everything he needed to know, looking away awkwardly.

The pair of them were as bad as each other and they were making his face heat up rather intensely, once again praising his genetics for giving him jet black feathers that covered such issues as blushes.

Though that didn't stop Dark Shadow from sliding his way over to Shouji's shoulder, stating in a rather sing-song voice, **"This is why I like you both. You know just how to make Fumikage happy, but in an embarrassing way!"**

"Please stop talking," He halfheartedly grumbled to his Quirk, who stuck a dark matter tongue out at him in response, Shouji giving a large laugh while Midoriya rubbed the back of his head awkwardly in response.

"Oh, uh, Tokoyami, I uh..." Midoriya stammered, clearly trying to ask something.

"Midoriya, what is it?" He asked, hoping it would change the subject somewhat from the current topic of... interests.

Midoriya looked away awkwardly before turning back, "Well, it's just, your parents, have you heard from them since the last fight?"

Tokoyami nodded, momentarily remembering that Midoriya hadn't been down there when he'd gotten the text from his mother. They'd spent so much time together that day that he sometimes found it hard to remember when he was talking privately to Shouji and when he was talking privately to Midoriya.

"They sent me a text," He replied. "It turns out they're not kicking me out," He said with a grin.

Midoriya's eyes lit up at the news, his beaming smile returning as he heard that. "So they're not transferring you away?!"

"As far as I'm aware, I'm staying put," Tokoyami replied.

 **"Can't get rid of us that easily,"** Dark Shadow announced, puffing up the darkness that he called a chest in his attempt to look cool.

"Still, that's not the worst of our worries," Shouji added silently, his voice lowering to a quiet whisper that the two other boys caught on to instantly.

Tokoyami inwardly groaned, remembering that even after the Festival was over, their little trio would still have to deal with another problem. "How angry do you think All Might is?" He asked to the other two, letting out a sigh as he did.

Midoriya didn't reply, though from the look of concern that brushed across his features, Tokoyami knew this wasn't going to be a simple conversation.

"As we said before, Midoriya, it's our fault for not leaving your secret alone like you wanted," Shouji stated calmly. "Though I admit, being on the wrong side of the Number One Hero in Japan has it's downsides."

 **"You've just gotta roll with the punches, right Fumikage?"** Dark Shadow chimed in eagerly.

Tokoyami noticed his Quirk's attempts to re-lift the mood, giving his Quirk an appreciative glance, though Dark Shadow didn't reply if he understood the gesture. Luckily, as they were discussing this, Present Mic's voice boomed through the Stadium announcing the final match between Bakugou and Todoroki, giving them an excuse to get away from the subject they'd been stuck discussing, but the tension was still there.

* * *

Mezou Shouji was a compassionate person, at least that's what everyone told him. He was a good friend, a good listener, the class's platonic hugger and he was totally with all of that. But the taller boy had to admit there was one problem going on that was really beginning to eat at him. Every since the day they met, he'd felt very close to Fumikage Tokoyami.

The raven-headed boy was strong willed, had a great persona and a whole deal of quirkiness to him that made Shouji wonder just how this boy with such occult tastes came from such rather normal parents, at least in his eyes. Tokoyami was instinctive and caring to those around him, even if he didn't want to admit it himself. And Shouji admired that.

Well, Shouji admired a lot, though that was the cause of his problems.

He wasn't one for material possessions, so to speak, but sometimes he'd break his little minimalist rule if he wanted something badly.

But he found himself extremely frustrated when it came to his best friend.

Tokoyami was his closest friend, no doubt about that. He'd been nothing but good to Shouji and they'd spent a lot of time together over the last month, even spending a week hosting him at his home. But after having comforted Tokoyami after his battle with Bakugou, having seen that weakness in his eyes, Shouji was beginning to realize something.

And it was a serious problem.

He wanted to protect Tokoyami. It was simple as that, he wanted his friend to be safe. Sure, they were training to be Heroes and were taught to keep innocents safe as part of their line of work, but he'd realized the other week when he found his friend collapsed by the road side that his feelings were very different. And the teasing from Jirou whenever she saw him carrying Toko didn't help.

People tended to forget that Shouji was the youngest of the class, younger than everyone else due to his sheer size and sense of maturity. But when it came to feelings of the heart... Yeah, he was just as bad as everyone else. Whenever Tokoyami smiled at him, his heart would soar, whenever they chatted he'd listen intently and he was starting to realize that, to put it bluntly, he might have a very casual crush on his friend.

But it was very clear that Tokoyami was not interested in him.

It was very clear, at least in Mezou's eyes, that Tokoyami was slightly more interested in a black-haired boy with green highlights, who happened to be one of the class's biggest cinnamon rolls, someone who arguably could do know wrong and got along with everyone, Shouji included. And who was Shouji to deny his friend the chance to try and court the person he wanted to be with.

From Tokoyami's various reactions over the course of the festival, it was clear that he felt something for All Might's protege, but for every reaction he got from his friend, it was a reminder that Shouji's own feelings were not going to be reciprocated.

Hell, he was being selfish just thinking about this. They had only known each other for a month and while it felt like longer, he had no right to be crushing on his best friend, who happened to be crushing on one of his other close friends.

It didn't help matters though that because of Midoriya's mutual friendship with Tokoyami, the group would usually be together with a few others, and he'd have to puzzle out his feelings quietly as he watched his friends interact.

And throughout all of this, he still wasn't even sure how Midoriya felt. For the first few days, he was sure that Midoriya was interested in Uraraka after his rather admittedly hilarious reactions towards her whenever she would compliment him, but now he wasn't so sure given she had actively joined in with the group of the class trying to tease Tokoyami into liking Midoriya.

Shouji was not built for all this romantic tension or drama. He liked to think he was pretty blunt when it came to this stuff, but when he was actively involved, it became a little more complicated.

So as he watched the two smaller boys chatting away as Todoroki and Bakugou faced off in the arena, he wasn't sure how to feel. That was until he noticed a small wisp of darkness hover up to his right shoulder, away from the smaller boys.

 **"You look distant,"** Was Dark Shadow's only comment, the spectral Quirk wistfully relaxing onto his shoulder as Shouji lifted up one of his hands into a mouth to chat.

"Shouldn't you be teasing Toko?" Shouji whispered.

Dark Shadow gave a low rumbling chuckle at that, **"I can tease him whenever I want. But you're more important. You look sad,"** He explained. **"I'm not good at the whole feelings stuff, but I can tell something's bothering you and you won't talk to Fumikage about it. So talk to me. I won't say a word."**

The offer was admittedly quite tempting. Dark Shadow acting as his confidant could certainly be beneficial assuming he didn't say anything to Fumikage. Of course, Dark Shadow wasn't known for being the most subtle Quirk in existence either, which led him to hesitate for a moment.

 **"C'mon, is it about Fumikage and Izuku?"** Dark Shadow asked.

"You can't just use his first name like that," Shouji exclaimed in a whisper.

 **"I can do what I want. I'm a Quirk, remember."** It was clear to the Dark Shadow that he wasn't getting through to Mezou, the Quirk sending him a light frown. **"Seriously, I won't say anything."**

"Shouldn't you be more concerned about Midoriya?" Shouji grumbled before he could stop himself, noticing Dark Shadow's frown twist into a smile.

 **"So it's about Midoriya-"**

"It's about nothing. Absolutely nothing," Shouji interjected hurriedly.

 **"Mhm, absolutely nothing. Right, you know if you like Fumikage, you really should just tell him."**

Shouji almost slipped off his chair in astonishment at that, having to seriously control himself from flipping out in front of the class, lest they notice the conversation going on. "And what gave you that impression?" Mezou asked incredulously.

Dark Shadow looked unimpressed. **"Do I really need to go down the list? You carry him everywhere, you're constantly trying to help Fumikage, you let him stay at your house for a week, you slept on the same sofa as him, you hugged him when he was crying, which I already said was pretty special since he doesn't cry for just anyone, you stood up to his parents for him, the list goes on Shouji."** Dark Shadow was now hovering deathly close to his ear. **"Either you're the world's best friend or you've got a crush."**

Shouji was lost for words at this, unable to really form a reply, though by Dark Shadow's smug expression, the Quirk was aware he'd hit the nail on the head.

"What are you two nattering about over there?" The voice of his problems asked, Shouji tilting his head to see Tokoyami watching him and his Quirk with a suspicious expression.

 **"Nothing, just Shouji's got a c-"**

"That's enough of that," Shouji cut in, literally grabbing Dark Shadow's mouth area and forcing the Quirk back towards Fumikage. "Really, that's enough."

Tokoyami's eyes never left Shouji's though, even as Dark Shadow slunk back into Fumikage's body with a massive grin on his face, directed straight at Shouji. But Tokoyami didn't comment on the meeting further, instead his eyes drawn to the battlefield, Mezou also turning to see that a rather large explosion had just taken place and apparently Bakugou had launched Todoroki from the ring in a shocking finish that nobody had expected to happen so easily.

But Shouji's mind was on other concerns.

* * *

 **Bakugou VS Todoroki just doesn't have much impact on our main trio of characters here so I really just... didn't focus on it. But finally, after so long we've some more Shouji POV and we'll be seeing a lot more of this during the next major arc.**

 **I'd like to think I'm handling Shouji's feelings in a realistic way, since when writing characters I like to draw from either personal experiences or experiences that those around me have had, and with Shouji I liked how confused I made him. He's very much in tune with his feelings, often to the point of bluntness, but once you add Midoriya into the picture, it's a little more complicated.**

 **That kind of mirrors my own thoughts though, since I've fleshed out Tokoyami's friendship with the pair of them, but I've yet to get a chance to focus much on Midoriya and Shouji without Tokoyami in the picture. I've got some ideas planned though, so no worries.**

 **Next chapter, we'll get our first look into Midoriya's POV, yeah, I'm going there, the podium scene and possibly the talk with All Might. Next chapter'll be a long'un.**

 **Also Dark Shadow is best wingman.**


	42. The Ending of the Festival! Third Place!

**Chapter 42 - The Ending of the Festival! Third Place!**

The Sport's Festival's final battle ended in an explosive finale as Todoroki was beaten at the final hurdle by the unstoppable force that was Bakugou, who had taken advantage of the hesitation in Todoroki's attacks when he hadn't decided to use his left side. And Midoriya was curious as to why that was, but he knew that the reasons behind Todoroki's decision were certainly too personal for him to ask about. To expect Todoroki to have gotten over his father just like that, that was unrealistic.

The young hero-in-training was left at the end of the Festival with a broken arm and a lot of questions, some which pertained to the Festival while others were more... personal in nature.

One such question was his friendship with Tokoyami and Shouji.

Midoriya was friends with everyone in the class, although Kacchan would probably have his head for insinuating they were anywhere near the level of friends, but he found himself strangely drawn to a few members of his class in particular.

Uraraka and Iida were one such pair, who had stuck with him since their first day at the school, while he often found himself hanging around Tokoyami, Shouji and Kouda during his down time. While he had great conversations and had a lot of fun goofing around with Uraraka, much to Iida's usual displeasure, there was something to be said about the second group of friends he had and the quiet nature they all brought to hanging out.

Tokoyami had always been rather closed off, ever since they met online, but they'd opened up to each other about a lot of things. Midoriya had talked about his insecurities of being Quirkless, while Tokoyami had mentioned the stresses of not having many social interactions with others. But since their time at school, Midoriya had tried to hang out more with his old internet friend since they never had that opportunity before, and now they knew his secret, something that nobody else was even aware of.

Kouda was sweet as well, his quiet voice and clear care for his friends mirroring the care that Midoriya had for pretty much anyone and everyone who was innocent and not a villain. The boy often was able to voice his concerns and talk about his life without any judgement to the quiet group, with them actually listening to him unlike some people in his past. Apparently Kouda had been mistreated by bullies as a kid and had taken to talking with animals to calm himself down. Midoriya definitely enjoyed talking with him, and everyone in the class.

The only person he was currently unsure about was Shouji. The tallest boy in the class, he was often seen as quite intimidating by those who didn't know him, but Midoriya found himself instantly drawn to the six-armed man and that mask across his face. He was the mediator and arguably the sane person in their group, able to reign in Tokoyami's sometimes insane dark preachings, while helping to make everyone feel welcome. He was the sort of person everyone wanted around, mature and responsible.

But during the Festival that day, he couldn't help but notice that Shouji had been acting very differently, especially around himself and Tokoyami. And as a natural thinker, Midoriya was wondering why this was. Because who helps the person who helps everyone else?

Shouji seemed very down whenever Midoriya had seen him over the course of the day. And very quickly, his mind was trying to figure out what the link between all of their conversations were, though when his mind settled on the right answer, he wasn't surprised.

From the very beginning, Tokoyami had been the link between the two.

He found it rather odd, yet funny that Tokoyami somehow seemed to be at the center of all these problems plaguing Midoriya's mind right now. Well, problems wasn't the right word for it, since he didn't mind the issues in his head, but he needed to think.

He trusted Tokoyami and by extension, Shouji, that much was clear. They knew his secret and nobody else was aware except for Kacchan.

Yet as his eyes met Shouji's for a moment as they all turned away from the aftermath of the battle, he felt like they weren't the eyes of a trusted friend, but the eyes of someone who was very much the opposite. Shouji wasn't looking at him in a malicious way, but there certainly wasn't that amicable nature that he'd come to expect from the boy.

 **"Hey, Fumikage, don't we need to go for the awards ceremony?"** Dark Shadow asked, bringing Midoriya out of his thoughts as his closest friend hopped in surprise.

"You're right!" Tokoyami replied, already a few paces away as the raven-headed boy looked back to his friends, "I'll see you both after, alright!"

"Ah, everyone," Another voice interrupted, Tokoyami pausing as they noticed the trembling form of Iida running towards them, his voice hesitant. Midoriya could see from the moment Iida fell into his view that something was wrong. "I am afraid I cannot stay for the award ceremony."

"Huh, Iida, why not?" Uraraka asked.

Iida looked at her, his expression unreadable, when he said in a low whisper, "My brother... A villain got him."

Everyone turned silent at that announcement, even the usual suspects like Mineta and Kaminari turning to look at Iida in genuine shock. It was as if an unspoken vow of silence had passed across the class, nobody knowing how to react. But Midoriya knew just how hard Iida was probably taking this news and it hurt to see his friend so pained. Ingenium was Iida's idol, the same as All Might was to himself. And he was also Iida's older brother.

"Iida, go be with your brother," Midoriya stated, breaking the silence. "He needs you."

Iida didn't reply, but he gave a faint attempt at a smile to Midoriya before turning towards the stairwell. Nobody else said anything as he rushed from sight to be with his family, nobody knowing how else to react.

"I'll tell Midnight," Tokoyami finally stated, that pep in his voice gone, heading off himself into the darkness of the corridors, leaving the rest of the class on the stands.

Mineta was the first to speak, "Could it be that Hero Killer?" He asked horrifically. "It's said he's been taking down Pro Heroes!"

"Poor Iida," Tsuyu mumbled from beside Uraraka. "He doesn't deserve this."

"Perhaps we should save this discussion for after the festivities," Momo interrupted, pointing to where the rest of the students from the first year were already getting from their seats to head down to the field. "Not to be rude to Iida, but there is nothing we can do and we are needed on the field."

"R-Right..." Midoriya mumbled, his eyes downcast as Class 1-A began to make their way to the stairwell.

As the class made their way down, Midoriya found himself at the back of the pack, trudging behind the rest. Iida's news had certainly brought down the morale of the class and he'd known from Day One just how important his brother was to his friend.

"Are you alright, Midoriya?" A familiar voice asked, Izuku's head looking up to see Shouji watching him from behind his mask. His eyes were friendly.

"I'm fine, it's just Iida..." Midoriya muttered casually. "He looks up to his brother so much, I... I can understand the feeling."

"He'll be fine, I'm sure," Shouji replied, the taller boy giving him a tap on the back when Midoriya realized he'd actually stopped moving on the stairs for a moment. He was definitely in his own head today. "How are you feeling after today's Festival?"

Midoriya honestly wasn't sure. Everything had gone well in a way. He'd saved Todoroki, enjoyed his time competing and was able to make the Top Eight, but he'd noticed a definite change in the atmosphere over the course of the day. "Tired," He finally settled on with a shrug. "I got some good notes for my notebook and I got to work with Tokoyami too."

"Working with Tokoyami was a plus for you?" Shouji asked with a chuckle. "You should tell him that, you'll make his feathers puff up from embarrassment."

"He's been teasing me all day," Midoriya grumbled, thinking back to the moment when Tokoyami had snuck up on him when he was looking at the girls in their cheerleader costumes. Yes, he'd been surprised by how revealing the costumes were, but Tsuku hadn't let it go since.

"I wouldn't worry about that, Midoriya. Karma works in interesting ways and Tokoyami's been getting just as much flack as he's been dishing out," Shouji laughed, the pair reaching the ground floor.

"People are teasing Tokoyami?" Izuku asked, admittedly quite curious now. Tokoyami was quite the guarded guy, so they must have been saying some interesting stuff to get him to react. "About what?"

Shouji's mask crinkled into what Midoriya had come to know as a grin, the taller boy pointing straight at him. "You, actually."

Midoriya blinked, looked up at Shouji, then at the finger pointed at him, then turned his gaze to where the rest of the class were chatting away amicably, then back to Shouji again. "Me!?"

"He called you charming earlier on without thinking," Shouji explained. "He's fond of you as a friend and sometimes the stuff he says can be quite funny."

"How was I not aware of this?!" Midoriya exclaimed, his face brightening up like a red tomato. His best friend had been getting teased because of himself, and Izuku didn't even know.

"You're blissfully naive sometimes," Shouji muttered in reply.

It was then that Uraraka looked back from her spot next to Tsuyu, to see the two boys talking further back. And by the way her eyes lit up at Deku's animated expressions, she shot over like a bullet to see what the conversation was about, sidling next to Shouji with an innocent smile on her face. "So what's got you so surprised, Deku?" She asked.

"Is everyone teasing Tokoyami because of me?" Midoriya asked, wanting to get a straight answer from his close friend.

Though he didn't expect Uraraka to burst into laughter, nor for her massive smile to grow even large as she giggled away at his question. He was seriously confused now. Was he missing something obvious.

"I didn't realize you were discussing that, oh my god," Uraraka laughed. "Deku, it's nothing bad. You're just super close friends and we were having a bit of fun, that's all."

"The way you two were talking in the waiting room this morning, you'd think you were hiding a secret from us," The bubbly voice of Ashido called out, the pink-skinned girl deviously grinning at Midoriya, who was beginning to find himself surrounded on all sides by his classmates. "You'd think you two were dating or something."

"Wha- That's definitely not it!?" Midoriya exclaimed, stammering over his words as he looked to Shouji for some sort of help. "Me and Tsuku, like that could happen?! We're best friends!?"

"Well, he did say your adorable awkward face was a nine out of ten earlier before the Cavalry Battle," Uraraka innocently muttered. "And Dark Shadow said you were a ten."

"And you can't deny you were blushing and acting awkward every time he complimented you today!" Ashido leered, hands on her hips as they made their way down the hallway that led to the field outside.

"I-I was just embarrassed!" Midoriya tried to explain. "I'm not used to being told I'm good by other people." And that much was true. He was self-aware enough to know that he had quite the complex over compliments ever since Kacchan's bullying from childhood. Ever since U.A. he'd found it odd how people actually complimented him on his skills, it was so different to what he already knew. "But that doesn't mean I _like_ Tokoyami!?"

"You'd probably need to draw Midoriya a diagram to explain his own feelings," Ashido muttered with a roll of her eyes, pointing at Midoriya. "But it's fine. If you don't want Tokoyami, I'm sure Shouji will be more than happy to take him off your hands."

Now it was Shouji's turn to splutter out a response, the small parts of his cheek that stuck out from his mask glowing bright pink.

"Ashido, what are you trying to imply?" Shouji stammered, looking around at the others in sheer shock.

And Midoriya couldn't help but take this as a small opportunity for some friendly payback. "Tsuku's always talking about you, you know. And whenever people made jokes in the past about a potential relationship between you two, you didn't try to deny it."

"There was nothing to deny," Shouji replied. "You're seeing something that isn't there."

"It would make sense though," Uraraka muttered. "That day when we were out in the town, you and Kouda showed up out of the blue by coincidence. But what if you were actually following us because you wanted to spend time with Tokoyami."

"That's- You have no proof I followed you," Shouji muttered, looking at everywhere except the trio watching him.

"And when you were blushing, could you have been blushing about Tokoyami?" Uraraka exclaimed, a devious grin forming on her face. "So that's why you didn't reply!"

"I hate you all," Shouji groaned while Ashido and Uraraka burst into fits of giggles. Midoriya, for what it's worth, wasn't laughing, though he did have a small smile on his face, glad that even though it was embarrassing, the conversation had managed to lift the mood.

"But seriously," Ashido finally stated as her giggles died down, staring at the two males who froze at her words. "You're both hopeless if you think you don't like him."

"So this is what classroom teasing is like," Midoriya muttered from his spot as they emerged onto the field to stand with the rest of the students.

Though now with all the teasing done, his thoughts were one-hundred percent on focused on his friendship with Tokoyami, and for that matter, Shouji's friendship with Tokoyami. Yes, all of his reactions were embarrassing and sure his face would heat up at a compliment or two, but was that liking someone or was that just his normal reaction? And he wasn't even sure what liking someone like that would feel like.

And with another guy?

This was all too much to think about. With a groan, he shook his head and attempted to clear his thoughts, but they still remained, stuck on the edges of his mind. Was this what being a teenager was like?

* * *

Tokoyami had met up with Todoroki on the way to the room underneath the Stadium that housed the podiums, giving a curt nod to the boy and a congratulations on his second place position. And surprisingly enough, Todoroki was actually willing to talk about the Festival as well as they made their way to the podiums.

"Midoriya really showed me that my power was my own," Todoroki explained calmly. "Though I have some personal issues to settle before I can fully begin to use my left side again."

"He really is quite something," Tokoyami added in agreement. "Midoriya has a quality that makes you want to follow him, I've found."

"Breaking his arm beyond the line of duty, just to get me out of my head," Todoroki bitterly chuckled. "I can see that."

The pair fell silent though as they entered the Podium room, because honestly neither of them were expecting the sight that they had walked in on.

The three podiums were set up on a platform that would be raised up onto the main field, but on the golden part of the podium, Bakugou was... well, he was restrained. He was tied to a rather large post, his hand cuffed in extremely large handcuffs that inhibited his explosive Quirk. His mouth was muzzled shut, his face was absolutely livid and when his eyes connected with the pair of them...

 **"He seems happy about something,"** Dark Shadow nattered, popping up behind Tokoyami to stare at Bakugou's who seemed to lose it at the sight of his last two opponents.

"That ferocity..." He muttered darkly.

"We should get on the podium," Todoroki muttered, taking his spot on the silver platform, Tokoyami heading over to the bronze platform where he noticed Midnight near a flight of stairs. Apparently the stairs led onto the field, where she going to announce the results.

"Uh, Miss Midnight," He called out, stepping towards the R Rated Heroine as she turned to look at him.

"What is it, Tokoyami?" She asked curiously, her eyes looking him over as if to check if he was alright.

"I was told to tell you that Iida won't be attending the medal ceremony. His brother, Ingenium..." Tokoyami's breath caught on his throat at that moment as he was about to say the words, but he knew he needed to get them out. "A villain got him."

Todoroki glanced over in quiet surprise, having not been around when Iida had announced the news, while even Bakugou had stopped struggling for a moment to hear that. Midnight's face was neutral though, as she looked at Tokoyami, then up to the stadium. Clearly the news had rattled her as her usual pep seemed to dimmer for a moment.

"I'll take care of it," Midnight finally said, turning back towards the stairs. "Thank you for telling me, Tokoyami."

He returned to his podium, Bakugou having resumed his attempt at escaping his bonds. Todoroki shook his head silently at the first placed boy, before looking over to Tokoyami.

"Ingenium was taken down by a villain, you said?"

Tokoyami nodded darkly. "Iida just left to be with his brother. Mineta seems to think it was someone called the Hero Killer who did it."

"That guy's been making a reputation for himself across the country. Even my father seems unnerved by the guy," Todoroki admitted.

As Tokoyami was about to reply, they suddenly felt a shaking, the two unbound looking down to see that the platform they were on was beginning to raise up. The roof above opened, their ears hit by a cacophony of cheers and excitement, though there were many gasps in the audience as everyone took note of Bakugou's rather interesting appearance.

"And here we have our winners," Midnight announced, gesturing to the three of them on the podium, though really Bakugou was stealing all the attention with the rattling of his chains.

"What a blood-thirsty beast," He muttered under his breath. He was the one with a living demon inside of him, yet Bakugou was acting more the demon than he was. Todoroki, now out in the open, was silent, looking down.

Tokoyami's eyes looked out across the students who were all sprawled across the field, crossing his arms as he noticed Shouji, Midoriya and the rest of his Class watching excitedly.

"In third place, we have both Tokoyami and Iida, but Iida was forced to leave early due to a family emergency." Midnight's voice rang across the stadium, but the cheers kept coming. "We hope you all understand," She finished, though the pose she ended her sentence on was something he wasn't prepared for, his feathers fluffing up ever so slightly as he was reminded why she was an R Rated Heroine.

And of course the cameras caught it. Because of course they would. He could see one of Shouji's mouths curled up in a sly grin at his reaction in the crowds, which made him even more awkward about the whole thing.

"Now for the medals! Presenting them this year is... You know wh-"

A sudden blur flew through the air from the top of the Stadium, landing on the podium right by them in an instant. Dust kicked up ever so slightly as the that familiar voice shouted, " **I am here...** with the medals!"

Only Midnight hadn't finished her introduction, "He's everyone's hero, All Might!"

The sudden confusion as the pair stared at each other awkwardly was enough to cause awkward laughter from the crowd, but soon enough after some whispering from the pair they were ready to move on, All Might firstly stepping towards Tokoyami.

"Congratulations, Young Tokoyami! You're a strong one!" All Might grinned, though Tokoyami couldn't help but feel uneasy thanks to their earlier encounter. But he felt like he had to reply with something.

"You honour me too highly," He replied stiffly, unsure of how to react as All Might placed the bronze medal around his neck.

That was when his entire body froze as he felt All Might suddenly pull him into what could be described as one of the most awkward hugs of his entire life. "But relying on your Quirk alone won't be enough to overcome a bad matchup. You should hone your innate strength to open a world of opportunity," All Might explained, even going so far as to pat him on the back.

Though Tokoyami really just wanted to push the man off of him. This wasn't just awkward, it was hurting his whole mysterious image, and he could already imagine Shouji's teasing a mile away. And that just made him wish it was Shouji hugging him instead, he liked Shouji's hugs he'd found.

"Understood..." He muttered at the crowds began to cheer and All Might stepped away to greet the other two.

Tokoyami held the medal in his hands, looking down at it without expression. A bronze medal from All Might himself was a big deal, but he found that he wasn't as starstruck as people would think, letting the medal hang from his neck as his eyes glanced around to his friends, where he could see Shouji, Kouda and Midoriya all struggling to hold in their laughter.

Midoriya may be an All Might fanboy, but even he was aware at how Tokoyami had taken the hug. He'd never live this down...

Though if there was anyone not living this down, it was most certainly Bakugou. All Might had to hang the medal from his mouth to stop the boy from screaming and Tokoyami could only wonder just... how this came to be? Bakugou was spirited, aggressive and downright merciless at times, but this... He didn't realize the boy was this competitive or driven. It was terrifying.

"Well! These are your winners!" All Might finally announced, gesturing to the trio. "But hold on, everyone! Everyone here today has the potential to be standing up on the podium! As you all witnessed, competition and encouragement, pushing each other to climb higher and higher! The sprouts of today will grow into the heroes of tomorrow, so in that spirit, let's have one final cheer!" All Might's voice boomed across the Stadium, everyone cheering along until...

"Everyone, say it with me! One, two, and..."

"Plus Ult- THANKS FOR THE HARD WORK!?"

* * *

 **And with that, the Sport's Festival arc is officially over. Fifteen chapters, a whole lot of character development and a lot of sitting in the stands, I'm both kinda sad and kinda glad to be done with it. Mainly because it was getting really hard to write those scenes in the stands when there wasn't much to really work with.**

 **I decided to end this arc on a very happy note though. All the fun teasing is just that, teasing. Just because Midoriya and Shouji have both been accused of liking Tokoyami, doesn't mean that they're aware of that fact themselves. I just wanted to make sure that the thought was there, in the back of their minds, regardless of whether it's relevant now or later.**

 **And that hug. Just... that hug.**


	43. An Apology and Bad Decisions!

**So before we begin, I have a little request. If there's anybody on who understands Japanese culture and can send me some pointers on just simple customs like shoes in homes, any info on Kyushu that I might need to know, stuff like that, I'd be grateful. Since Tokoyami canonically goes to Kyushu for his week of Internship, I can't change that and while I'll do my own research of course, any pointers would be helpful.**

* * *

 **Chapter 43 - An Apology and Bad Decisions!**

As the Festival wound down and the spectators began to leave, Aizawa had announced rather loudly over the speakers to the Class to report to Class 1-A's main classroom after they had gotten changed into their school uniforms. So the moment the cameras stopped rolling and everything came to an end, Tokoyami hopped off of the third place podium and strolled over to his classmates with his usual calm expression.

"So how did it feel getting a medal from All Might?" Kaminari asked excitedly, the dark blonde haired boy coming up to his side with a grin.

"You must have felt so cool up there with all the attention on you," Sero said, the black haired boy giving him a wide smile.

Tokoyami shrugged. "It felt good..." He let his voice drift off, hoping they'd catch his signal to stop talking to him.

"Just good?" Kaminari gawked. "C'mon man, you gotta give us something better than that?!"

"Go ask Bakugou. I hear he's very much the conversationalist," He deadpanned, walking away from the pair as they turned to look at the snarling mess that was their classmate being released from his chains.

It seemed that Bakugou had been held back by Kirishima, the red haired boy trying to calm his friend down as Momo and Jirou attempted to smuggle Todoroki out of the explosive boy's sights before he could be seen. None of them wanted another fight on their hands, but more importantly they couldn't afford it when all of the teachers were focused on escorting the civilians from the building.

Tokoyami finally found himself catching up with the people he wanted to talk to, walking up beside the extremely tall figure of Shouji, who had seen him coming as one of his hands happened to have duplicated into an eye that had been scouring the group. As Tokoyami approached, the eye retracted, forming a mouth instead as his taller companion turned to his friend.

"So how was your hug with All Might?" Was his friend's first question, Tokoyami instantly letting out a groan as he realized Shouji was in one of those moods.

"We shall never speak of this, Shouji," He replied gruffly, turning away from his friend, though he felt his feathers near the tip of his head fluffing up in embarrassment.

"How will the gothic Tokoyami ever cope with having received a hug from such a noble man," Shouji chuckled warmly, placing an arm on his friend's shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Toko."

Tokoyami rolled his eyes.

 **"He won't say it out loud but you give better hugs than All Might."**

"Dark Shadow!?" He exclaimed, whirling around to see his Quirk had snuck out onto his shoulder, those bright yellow eyes looking ever so innocently at Tokoyami.

In his shock, he didn't notice the faint pink blush that covered the tips of Shouji's mask, nor the way the taller male looked away as if to hide himself.

"Honestly, Shouji, I'm sorry for hi-"

"It's fine, really Toko," Shouji stammered back, awkwardly, the two falling into a small silence as they stepped out of the stadium onto the school grounds. Though both of them were absolutely quiet, they had found that the silence wasn't jarring or uncomfortable. In fact, Tokoyami was grateful for the chance to rest his mind for a moment until...

"Do you actually think that?"

"Shouji!?" He spluttered, crossing his arms forcefully, turning his head away just as Shouji had a minute prior.

"It's a valid question, Toko," Shouji replied nervously, looking down at his definitely mortified friend.

Tokoyami's feathers ruffled up, his beak pursed shut as the smaller boy glanced back at his friend, before giving a very resigned nod, much to Shouji's extreme pleasure.

 **"You two are hopeless,"** Dark Shadow drawled, his eyes meeting Shouji's gaze, a small grin appearing on his dark face.

Shouji stared back at Dark Shadow, Tokoyami definitely looking between the pair, a bemused expression crossing his face as he wondered just what was going on in their heads as they stared at each other. It was probably about the pair's secret conversation earlier in the stands, though whatever they were discussing he had no clue about.

"Hey Tsuku, you looked cool up there," A voice called out, Tokoyami glancing backwards to see Midoriya and Kouda running up from the direction of the stadium, the smaller boy looking a little exhausted as he jostled the cast around his arm.

Kouda gave a shy wave from behind Midoriya, glancing up to Tokoyami with a small smile on his face. Though Kouda had been upset with him earlier, it seemed that the rock boy could only be upset for so long before returning back to his usual supportive self. It seemed that Shouji wasn't the only person in the class who believed in not carrying grudges any more, but...

"Thanks Midoriya, it was... an experience," He replied, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he was once again reminded of that dreaded hug that would forever haunt his mind. "Do you two mind if I chat with Kouda for a bit?" He asked, looking over at the quietest member of their group who seemed surprised to be called out. Tokoyami glanced up at Shouji, pleading with his eyes so that his friend would understand. He needed to apologize to his friend.

"Of course, no problem," Shouji muttered, turning to Midoriya. "Shall we go on ahead?"

Midoriya gave a small nod, that familiar smile that they'd all come to know and love gracing his face as he waved, "I'll talk to you in a bit Tsuku!"

As Midoriya and Shouji began talking to each other, striding off into the distance, that left Tokoyami standing beside the rocky-headed giant that was Kouda, the timid boy looking at his friend with a nervous smile as they both waited for someone to say something.

Tokoyami, being the one who needed this, was the first to speak.

"Kouda, I... I want to apologize for today," He stated silently. "I ignored you, a lot. It wasn't right of me." His expression fell downcast as he looked at the grass they were walking across, unable to make eye contact with his friend.

"Well, I figured you had your reasons," Kouda stuttered. "You were talking a lot with Midoriya and Shouji today, I just... I thought you..." Kouda's voice trailed off as the boy sadly looked up at the sky in a vain attempt to hide his face from his friend.

But now Tokoyami was curious, placing a hand in his friend's shoulder. "What did you think Kouda?" He asked, noticing his friend tense up.

Kouda gave a rather nervous chuckle, like he wasn't sure how to react, but eventually the boy looked back at Tokoyami, a few tears forming in the corner of his eyes as he did. "I thought you didn't want to be friends anymore..." Kouda finally whispered, a few tears falling from his face as he admitted his thought.

If Tokoyami felt bad before, he felt absolutely horrible now. Some would say Kouda was overreacting, but Tokoyami could feel the guilt pooling in the depths of his stomach as he thought back to the USJ, while they were hiding in an old store behind the counter.

Kouda had told him about his past, about the bullying and his lack of friends growing up, how he'd resorted to talking with animals to cope, and Tokoyami couldn't help but feel like his blatant tunnel vision regarding Midoriya and the Festival had distracted him from his own friend. He felt awful.

"Kouda, you're like my younger brother," Tokoyami stammered, recalling those words he'd said in the classroom before the USJ. He'd meant them there, Kouda was like family to him and he didn't want to disappoint the poor boy. "I would never not want to be friends with you," He explained. "And I'm so sorry I made you feel like that."

"But now I feel bad," Kouda admitted, folding his arms together awkwardly as they walked past the old tree that Tokoyami had taken to climbing. "I-I know I'm being kinda unreasonable, you c-can't hang with me all the time."

Tokoyami, breathing out a small frustrated sigh, quickly moved over to his friend, wrapped his arm around his shoulder and pulled him close, lowering his voice to a gentle whisper. "You are not a bother, Kouji Kouda, okay. I'm your friend and I ignored you, you're not in the wrong. And it's not wrong to want to talk with your friends."

Kouda, sniffling quietly, wiped some tears from his eyes as Tokoyami continued to speak, a small smile playing across his face. "We're training to be Heroes, right? And that's good and all, but you can rely on people sometimes. Not all the time of course, but it's not wrong to want to talk and confide and chat." Tokoyami had to admit, he was both saying this for Kouda and himself, given even after all the time he'd spent with his friends, there was still so much that he kept quiet. His childhood had been cold and quiet... He wondered how he'd ended up with such a caring group of friends.

 **"Isn't he such a softy, Kouda,"** Dark Shadow's sardonic voice drawled, Tokoyami turning to his Quirk with the biggest eye roll he could muster. But he didn't snap back, seeing that Dark Shadow had taken to perching on Kouda's shoulder, akin to one of the boy's animals. Dark Shadow, despite being a demonic force of nature, was really good at cheering people up and had taken the mentality of Kouda being their younger brother to new heights with his attempts at perking up the boy's attitude.

"He really is," Kouda chuckled, giving Tokoyami a beaming smile. "I r-really needed that, thanks Tokoyami."

"No problem, we should catch up with the others," He explained, pointing towards the school. It seemed that everyone else had already headed inside, meaning they were the last two to enter the school building. "Honestly, I'm glad I can talk to someone who isn't relentlessly teasing me for once."

"They're still making fun of you?" Kouda asked curiously as they stepped through the main entrance of the school.

"Mhm, Uraraka and Shouji seem to think I have a _thing_ for Midoriya, which isn't true," Tokoyami explained.

 **"You sure about that?"** Dark Shadow asked from Kouda's shoulder. **"Cuz even though you've got feathers across your face, I know when you're blushing, and you did an awful lot of that today when talking to Midoriya and Shouji."**

"Dark Shadow!?" He stammered, grabbing the Quirk from Kouda's shoulder and lightly tapping on the head in annoyance.

Kouda couldn't help but let out a gentle laugh at their antics, a big smile gracing his face as they headed to the changing rooms. "Are you sure you don't like either of them? Or what about both of them?" Kouda asked, poking the bear ever so slightly as Tokoyami groaned loudly.

"Not you too..." He sighed, pushing open the changing room door, "I can't like both of them anyway, even if I was attracted to either of them, which I am not..."

The changing rooms were silent as the two stepped in, the majority of the class having already headed off to their classroom, though as Tokoyami glanced towards the lockers, he noticed that Shouji and Midoriya were both engaged in a conversation on one of the benches. Only he froze up as they hadn't noticed the pair walk in, because of course they just so happened to be in the middle of changing.

And thanks to Kouda's earlier comment, the fact that they were both shirtless and changing into their school uniform _might_ have caused his feathers to bristle in surprise, pursing his teeth shut in an attempt to ignore the sight, his eyes instantly averting towards anywhere but his friends, instead choosing to glance at his own locker... Right next to Shouji, damnit!

 **"You've got it baaaaaad,"** Dark Shadow thought playfully in his mind, Tokoyami inwardly groaning at his Quirk's antics.

He hated everyone. That was his final decision. Absolutely everyone and everything!

"Did you both sort out what was bothering you?" Shouji asked, one of his dulpicated eyes looking over at Tokoyami as he approached his locker.

"Indeed," Tokoyami replied calmly, stripping off his tracksuit and pulling out a school uniform that he'd had spare in his locker.

 **"What about you two? What did you both chat about?"** Dark Shadow asked, drifting over from Kouda's side to where Tokoyami was changing.

"Oh, nothing much," Midoriya muttered, though as Tokoyami chanced a glance to his right, he noticed that Midoriya's face with dusted a rather rosy shade of red, though thankfully he was fully clothed now.

"Honestly, it wasn't important," Shouji muttered also, still fitting on his shirt, attempting to get his arms through the holes, though with six arms it was a rather difficult experience every time for the taller boy, and for Tokoyami it was hell as that meant that Shouji still wasn't fully dressed. Though he could see the faint outline of a blush above his mask.

Just what had they been talking about to seem so embarrassed?

* * *

 _Little did Tokoyami know that their conversation had left them in a very similar situation to his own._

 _"I'll talk to you in a bit, Tsuku!" Midoriya called out to his friend, before turning to Shouji. "What was that all about?" He asked when they were out of earshot._

 _"Toko was rather focused today. Kouda was feeling neglected and I'm hoping he's sorting it out," Shouji muttered quietly. "Given how stubborn that guy can be sometimes, I'm glad he's taking initiative today."_

 _Midoriya was silent for a moment as they came up to the school doors, his mind in thought as Shouji decided to hold the door open for the smaller boy. That silence lasted for a few more paces until they reached the hall leading to the changing rooms. The rest of the boys were slightly further ahead, having already entered, when Midoriya stopped in his tracks._

 _He looked up at Shouji, who had turned to see what the hold up was, before stating, "You're a good influence, Shouji."_

 _Shouji looked surprised at the sudden compliment, a confused look crossing his posture as it tensed up. "Thanks?"_

 _"S-Sorry, I meant you're a good influence on the rest of us, y'know," Midoriya explained. He pointed back towards the main doors where Tokoyami and Kouda were probably talking. "After the USJ, you got Tsuku to open up a bit more. He's such a quiet guy, but you bring that out of him. And Kouda too!"_

 _"You give me too much credit Midoriya. What about your trust with Toko and that distinct bond you have as best friends?" Shouji explained, albeit rather badly. In reality, he was just trying to deflect the compliment back to Midoriya in some way out of humbleness._

 _"It's not just Tsuku though! You stayed behind in the Obstacle Race for everyone, you even helped me..." Midoriya's voice faltered then, but moments later the men's changing room opened, Kirishima, Bakugou and Kaminai all stepping out._

 _As Bakugou stalked past Midoriya, the sandy-haired blonde glared at him, Midoriya looking a little frazzled, his cast tensing up. Without thinking, Shouji quickly placed himself just in front of Midoriya, blocking him from Bakugou's wrath. "Leave it, Bakugou," He muttered calmly._

 _"You wanna protect Deku, fucking fine," Bakugou spat back. "But you and the Bird Fucker better watch it."_

 _Bakugou stepped away angrily, with Kirishima having to promptly drag the explosive boy off by the scruff of his uniform down the hall, as Midoriya let out a rather tense breath he was holding in, Shouji still watching the hallway until he was sure that Bakugou had left their vicinity, before lowering his arms with a sigh. "That guy..." He could sense the boy behind him completely tensed up, probably still on edge after the exhaustion of the festival._

 _"I'm sorry about him," Midoriya muttered quietly, already moving from behind Shouji towards the locker room quietly, looking extremely ashamed of himself._

 _"Midoriya, it's fine," Shouji replied, catching up to him quite quickly as the rest of the boys began to peter out of the room as they entered, Midoriya already halfway across the room before he was able to get another word in.. "I told you during the obstacle course, didn't I?"_

 _Midoriya reached for his locker, before replying with a quiet, "Tell me what?"_

 _"I said I'd help carry your burden. And if that means helping you out with Bakugou every now and then, I'm happy to help," Shouji explained, though as Midoriya turned to face him, a reply at the ready, he cut him off with an, "And don't think that makes you weak. You can fight your own battles, I know, but sometimes it's okay to accept help."_

 _"But what if you've been accepting help this whole time..." Midoriya muttered quietly. "All Might, Kacchan, Uraraka, Aizawa, even you and Tsuku..." His voice faltered. "I can't be the number one Hero if I'm making everyone I care about worry for my safety..."_

 _Shouji sighed, slipping off his tracksuit as he turned to Midoriya with a frown on his current mouth. "Well I can't speak for everyone else, but as a classmate and a friend I won't stop worrying about you because you're important to me," Shouji stated._

 _There was a distinct moment of silence as Shouji's words seemed to register in the air._

 _"Shouji?" He asked uncertainly. "I'm important to y-"_

 _"I meant your safety is important to me," Shouji stammered quickly, turning away from the dark haired boy who's face had gone bright red at his comment._

 _"I-If it helps... I... I feel the same way," Midoriya replied awkwardly. "Sure, we met through U.A. and Tsuku, but you're a good guy on your own and... I..." Midoriya turned away as he began to change as well. "...I want to get to know you, Shouji. Not as Tsuku's friend, but as Mezou Shouji."_

 _Shouji was stunned into silence, the tip of his mask bright pink, though he didn't have much time to process Midoriya's request when suddenly they heard a door opening. One of his duplicated eyes glanced over to the door where he could see Tokoyami and Kouda walking in, the former looking rather exasperated, the latter smiling in a very Ashido-like manner. Dark Shadow was hanging off of Kouda's shoulder, a broad grin on his face._

 _And as Tokoyami's gaze fell on the pair of them, Shouji could have sworn he saw the gears in Tokoyami's head whirring as the dark-feathered boy tore his gaze away, eyes widening in surprise._

* * *

The group of four all quickly changed after that, the conversation falling into a rather awkward silence that Kouda was all too happy to escape, waving to them as he somehow was the first of the four to be completely changed, despite being the last to actually start changing.

Midoriya had been fiddling with his tie, for some reason being at a complete loss, while Shouji had finally managed to get his arms through his shirt holes, and Tokoyami was just in his own little bubble of embarrassment.

Dark Shadow, for lack of a better word, found it absolutely hilarious.

 **"It's like a ghost town in here,"** Dark Shadow exclaimed with a hum, glancing to Midoriya who looked away embarrassingly, then to Shouji who refused to meet the Quirk's eyes, then back to his host who was glaring at him with irritation. **"I dunno about you two, but Fumikage I'm shocked that a small bit of teasing from Kouda can stop you from functioning."**

"K-Kouda was teasing you?" Midoriya stammered, eyes widened.

He was probably thinking along the lines of how the innocent natured Kouda had the capabilities inside of him to actually crack a joke at someone else's expense.

"A _lot_ of comments have been made today," Tokoyami groaned.

"Now that's something I can agree with," Shouji admitted, sinking down onto the bench as he adjusted his tie.

"And you both dragged me into it," Midoriya sighed, running a hand across his face.

 **"You're all as bad as each other,"** Dark Shadow chuckled.

"You can't take the high ground!" Tokoyami's gaze shot up from his shoes he was slipping on to see that it was surprisingly Midoriya of the three who had bit back at Dark Shadow's comment, the black haired boy a bright red as he replied back to the Quirk. "Stating I was a ten out of ten when I looked adorable, you're just as bad as us."

 **"At least I said you were a ten. Fumikage said you were a nine,"** Dark Shadow snapped back with a sing-song voice.

Fumikage spluttered out a very quick response of, "I had to say something, Uraraka wasn't going to let up!"

"Wait, so you don't think I'm a nine?" Midoriya asked in reply, his voice lowering in tone as he glanced over at the feathered boy who looked extremely off-put by the whole conversation.

"I didn't say that-" He started to reply, but he cut himself off as he glanced over at Shouji had had attempted to sneak off towards the door, from his spot on the bench. "Oh you are not leaving me to deal with this on my own after you taunted me for that charming comment _while_ Midoriya was sitting right next to me!"

 **"This conversation is a mess and I love it."**

"Dark Shadow!?" The others all shouted angrily.

As more and more of their conversations throughout the Festival came to light, Tokoyami found himself shrinking further and further inwards, while Midoriya had his face in his hands, a constant shade of red. Shouji, despite his attempts to be the calm one, had his arms folded, eyes looking anywhere but the two people in the room with him.

"So..." Shouji finally muttered.

"We're just friends, right?" Midoriya stammered, pointing to Tokoyami.

"O-Of course," The raven-feathered boy stuttered, his usual cool composure completely cracked at this point.

 **"You're in denial,"** Dark Shadow drawled.

"Not helping..." Tokoyami muttered under his breath, willing his Quirk back inside of him before Dark Shadow could cause any more damage.

"We've got two more minutes," Midoriya muttered, pointing to the clock on the wall.

"Let's just forget this ever happened," Shouji suggested, pointing to the door. "God knows, I want to."

"We're all friends, that's all," Tokoyami stated, glancing to the pair of them and meeting their hesitant eyes.

A minute of silence later, they each left the locker room as a group, making a vow to never talk about that day... The day that would be known in the history books as the great Teasing of the U.A. Sport's Festival, though while Tokoyami had managed to walk out fairly unscathed, regaining his composure and Midoriya had managed to remove the red blush and thoughts from his mind, Shouji was not so lucky.

His mind was still on Tokoyami, the boy whom he now realized he was definitely crushing on, but as his mind drifted, he began to remember those words from Midoriya, "I want to get to know you, Shouji. Not as Tsuku's friend, but as Mezou Shouji."

Being a teenager was hell.

* * *

 **Oh my god, I wasn't sure 100% where I'd take this chapter, but I found this extremely funny to write. The group consensus with the three is that everything that had been said was teasing, none of it was serious, but deep down all three of them really have their doubts about that claim.**

 **So next chapter is going to possibly be a long one. The chat with All Might and Tokoyami confronting his parents, because he hasn't seen them in person for an entire week. I feel bad that this story is such a slow story as well as a burn, but I find that posting these more bitesized chapters is so much more manageable than trying to create 5/6K chapters per update.**


	44. A Serious Discussion!

**Chapter 44 - A Serious Discussion!**

"In light of the festival you'll have tomorrow and the day after off to rest and recover from the Sport's Festival," Aizawa drawled from behind his bandaged face as he addressed the students of Class 1-A who were all finally seated back in their classroom after the long and arduous day they had been subjected to. "Scouting reports and such from the pros will be waiting for you here after the break. So look forward to that as you enjoy your time off."

The pro-teacher dismissed the class a few minutes later, everyone raring to get out the door, though some of the more exhausted students were less hasty as they left.

Tokoyami knew that Shouji and Midoriya, despite their rather embarrassing encounter a few minutes prior, would be waiting for him as they were told to meet All Might in the Teacher's Lounge. But he felt there was something he had to do first...

"Sir?" He asked calmly, walking up to their homeroom teacher, who regarded him with his bloodshot red eyes.

"You paced yourself much better today," Was his teacher's reply, the man crossing his arms as he stared at his pupil. "You wanted my opinion on your Quirk usage, didn't you?"

"Y-Yes," Tokoyami stammered, surprised that Aizawa had been able to read him so easily. "You told me to surpass my limits this morning, before we heade-"

"I know," Aizawa interrupted. "I _was_ there when I said those words. There's no need to be so descriptive. Though, you certainly showed a lot of tenacity against Bakugou and throughout the whole festival. I have no doubt you'll be receiving many requests from Hero Agencies when you return."

"T-Thank you for the kind words, Sir," Tokoyami bowed, feeling ever so slightly humbled.

"Though you still require more stamina to ensure you don't overexert yourself. I noticed the way you walked off the field after your fight with Bakugou, you were tired." Aizawa continued to stare at Tokoyami dully, though Fumikage didn't react.

He knew Aizawa of all people would know about the exhaustion that had hit him. The teacher had trained him to use his power himself, so of course he would be the one to notice when something was off or wrong.

"Have you tried training at the gym?" Aizawa asked out of the blue. "You seem strong for an average teenager, but compared to that of your classmates such as Kirishima or Bakugou, there's a clear difference."

"Most of my training was spiritual," Tokoyami admitted. "My teacher, the Cyclone Hero Airdriver, he taught me how to handle my Quirk, how to survive in harsh environments, he taught me how to fight..." Tokoyami's voice faltered as his mind began to think back to his previous tutor.

Airdriver, had he been watching the Sport's Festival? He was a Pro Hero so of course he had to have, though Tokoyami imagined he hadn't come in person. Since his last lesson prior to the U.A. Entrance Exam, he'd been keeping up on his teacher's work via the internet and had learned that his teacher had relocated Hero offices after an urgent request from the Fukuoka council to deal with some villains that had appeared recently.

"But he didn't teach you how to work your muscles?" Aizawa condescendingly asked.

"No, that was more my fault," Tokoyami admitted. He'd been left with some excersize routines that were meant to increase his stamina, but he found himself not getting much time to focus on them. After the whole passing out after the entrance exam, then the whole USJ drama, he'd been finding himself with less time to actually work out and even less time to do his schoolwork if the piles of work he'd neglected that week were anything to go by.

"Then rectify it. When you're a Hero, you have to rely on yourself many times throughout your career," Aizawa stated, a looming sense of authority hanging over Tokoyami. "Perhaps you can work out with Shouji? You both seem to be friendly enough and he frequents the school gym once a week. It's a rational choice for you."

"I'll see what I can do, Sir," He replied automatically.

Aizawa simple stepped backwards and withdrew into his sleeping bag, Tokoyami taking this as his cue to leave, backing out of the classroom door before slipping it shut behind him.

He glanced around, not noticing either of his friends nearby. Though it seemed the halls were surprisingly empty as he walked down the corridor towards where he knew the Teacher's Lounge was.

He found Shouji and Midoriya loitering around the stairwell on the ground floor, both of them looking rather anxious as they looked up to greet him as he descended.

"How come you took so long?" Shouji asked curiously as Tokoyami reached the pair.

"I wanted to talk with Aizawa about my performance, that's all," He explained, giving the pair as good a grin as he could give, given the whole beak situation. "He commended me, but felt I needed to work out more."

 **"You'd think after so many people telling him to work out, he'd actually do it,"** Dark Shadow popped out for a moment to whisper, before retreating instantly as Tokoyami whirled around to grab at his Quirk.

Though Midoriya's shy chuckles at their antics caused him to stop entirely, sighing loudly as he admittedly mentioned, "He all but told me to start using the school gym." He glanced over to Shouji, folding his arms. "He made extra certain to remind me that I should accompany you to the gym from now on."

"Oh, uh, sure, that's fine by me," Shouji replied with a shrug.

"You'll be a force to be reckoned with, Tsuku, I can tell," Midoriya smiled, his good hand clenched in a supportive fist. Though his eyes filled with uncertainty as the conversation fell quiet and the group realized what they were about to do. "So, All Might."

"We promised to be with you when you confronted him about us, and you know it will put all of our minds at ease," Shouji explained quietly, placing a hand on Midoriya's shoulder, much to the smaller boy's surprise.

"Actually, about that," Tokoyami interrupted, walking between the pair. "I can't help but wonder when I promised anything? Of course, I'm happy to talk to All Might if it means you'll be able to sleep at night Midoriya, one of us has to," He chuckled bitterly. "But when did this happen?"

"While you were fighting Momo," Midoriya muttered quietly. "Shouji got me talk about some stuff on my mind... I guess I'm grateful that I've got someone I can confide in after all. You're a good listener Shouji."

"Given his ability to create extra ears, are you surprised at all?" Tokoyami laughed, turning to the direction of the teacher's lounge. "I'll admit, I'm nervous, but at least if we talk with All Might, he's aware and can plan ahead with the knowledge that we know."

"Right..." Midoriya mumbled. "Should we...?"

"Let's..." Shouji muttered.

"Alright then..." Tokoyami finished.

* * *

The Teacher's Lounge was quiet as the majority of the staff were either at the staff room or out and about the Festival, watching the second and third year tournaments, so they were lucky that nobody was around to overhear them. The trio made it to the door, Midoriya glancing back at the other two nervously.

Tokoyami could only give a small nod of encouragement, while Shouji offered another hand to the shoulder to calm the smaller boy.

And eventually, Midoriya knocked on the door.

"Come in," A voice called out, Midoriya opening the door.

The Teacher's Lounge was a sparse room. A few couches were set up along the room with a coffee table in the middle. A few bookcases sat by the walls and a vending machine sat in the corner, though what caught Tokoyami's eyes were the giant glass windows that overlooked the grounds of the school, where in the distance he could see some construction going on for some buildings, though it certainly looked early in it's life cycle.

Sitting on one of the sofas was the man from Midoriya's hospital room, yellow dangly hair and shallow sunken skin giving off the impression of a weathered, worn out face. And if Tokoyami was right, this thin, frail, sickly looking man was none other than the Number One Hero himself.

"Hello, Young Midoriya, Young Tokoyami, Young Shouji," The man muttered, his voice deep and calm as he watched them approach cautiously.

"You were in the hospital room earlier," Shouji remarked, glancing to the man, then to the other two, Tokoyami's gaze never leaving the man.

He wore a serious expression on his face and Tokoyami was very much reminded of his earlier encounter with the Number One Hero, that immense feeling of pressure and intimidation from before back in spades.

It confirmed his theory.

"So you are him then," Tokoyami stated, not a question, but a statement. "You're All Might."

He glanced over to Midoriya, who wouldn't meet his eyes, the green-haired boy's gaze fixed squarely on the ground with a sickened expression. Just more confirmation on who he was dealing with, in Tokoyami's eyes.

"There's no fooling you, is there," The man stated, locking eyes with Tokoyami in an instant, causing the bird-headed student to freeze up. "I am indeed All Might, though you know that already." He gestured towards the other couch set up in the room. "Please sit, I imagine this conversation would be more pleasant if we were all comfortable. You're all tired from a long day of fighting after all."

They quietly took their seats as requested, Shouji in the middle, Midoriya on the left, Tokoyami on the right. All Might didn't miss the way Shouji's arms were almost protectively around his two friends as they waited for someone to start up the conversation anew.

"You have nothing to fear from me, Young Shouji," All Might stated calmly. "Though by the end of this chat, I'm sure you'll wish you hadn't stumbled upon this secret thanks to my protoge."

"It's not Midoriya's fault," Tokoyami stated quickly, eyes still latched on to All Might's own in an attempt to hold his nerve. He could feel his body trembling, but he remained firm. "I figured it out myself. He had no part in it."

"I can confirm that," Shouji added, backing up his friend.

"Then how, may I ask, did you figure out the secret?" All Might asked calmly, though there was a severity in his voice that Tokoyami couldn't help but think belonged in a police investigation, not a meeting between students and their teacher.

"I've known Midoriya from before U.A," Tokoyami explained. "He was Quirkless, he told me so when we first met online, but he manifested a Quirk on the day of the Entrance Exam because he punched the 0 point robot."

"After the USJ incident, the whole class got into a bet on what the deal was between Midoriya and you, since everyone could tell you were playing favourites," Shouji added with a shrug.

All Might couldn't help but react in horror to that, recoiling ever so slightly at Shouji's last comment. "Midoriya, was I really that obvious!?" He asked his protege, who nodded his head furiously, face bright red. "Gah, I was never good at the whole espionage thing. That was always Eraserhead's thing..."

"Anyway..." Tokoyami continued, trying to stifle back a chuckle at the Pro Hero's reaction. "I proposed my idea to the class, bringing up that your Quirks were similar in power and that Aizawa had mentioned Midoriya's power not being synced to his body. That meant he got it quite recently. And according to Mineta, Midoriya almost accidentally said One for All once during the USJ incident, but he cut himself off."

"So you guessed?" All Might asked, his voice once again with that calm tone that denoted a deeper severity.

"Well, everyone else thought you were actually father and son," Shouji shrugged.

"Wait, what!? You didn't tell me that part!" Midoriya yelped, shooting a shocked glare at his two friends who both shrugged it off. "You guys..."

"You never asked," Tokoyami responded. "Though your face is too easy to read. When I asked you after class about my theory, your nervousness gave it away even though you tried to lie it off."

That was when All Might cut in, though the severity in his voice was replaced with a quiet exasperation. "So you're telling me you figured this out all on your own, then Young Midoriya confirmed it for you by accident?"

"Yup," Tokoyami replied. "And Shouji was eavesdropping so he heard as well."

"I was not eavesdropping!?" Shouji exclaimed, though his defensiveness told a completely different story. Even Midoriya gave him a glance that seemed to suggest, 'Are you serious right now, Shouji?'. "Fine... I was curious..."

"And had we known what we were getting into," Tokoyami added, trying to steer the conversation backwards a little bit. "We wouldn't have brought it up. Honestly, I... I feel awful knowing the position we've put you in."

All Might was silent at that, leaning back into his chair to look at the students one by one. From his gaze he could see Midoriya looking apologetically between his friends and the floor, refusing to meet his own gaze. He was upset, but All Might could sense that there was some sort of a trust between him and the other two.

Shouji was watching the two with his spare eyes, his entire posture screaming that he was on the defensive about all this, but seemingly very protective over Midoriya. Was Shouji expecting him to be upset with his protege and was attempting to comfort him?

Tokoyami was the most interesting to All Might though. The whole meeting Tokoyami had attempted to keep eye contact with the Hero, a firm resolve in his gaze. Though he claimed he knew the severity of the situation via his words, his expression was what sold that belief. Tokoyami very clearly understood he was in over his head.

That was good. He was self-aware.

"Well, now you know," All Might stated, looking between the three of them. "I gave my Quirk to Midoriya and in turn, allowed him to be the next inheritor of One for All. I doubt Midoriya has mentioned this but... It must be about six years ago now, I was wounded by a powerful foe. After numerous operations..." All Might's voice fell to a whisper. "I became the person you see now. I can only transform into my powered up state for a few hours at most, even less since the Nomu battle at the USJ."

"Why are you telling us this?" Tokoyami asked, cutting him off. "We found out your secret but..."

"Well, Young Tokoyami, I want you to understand the severity of the situation. Only the headmaster, Recovery Girl and my closest friends are aware of the truth regarding Midoriya's Quirk. That is because should any villain become aware that I am losing my powers or that Midoriya is inheriting my powers, especially before he has learned to control them, they would target anyone with information," All Might explained gravely.

"You mean..." Shouji muttered quietly, unable to finish the sentence.

"Yes," All Might replied. "Torture, kidnapping, even murder. By knowing this secret you put yourselves at heavy risk in the future. And under all costs, you must keep it a secret. That is why I am explaining the consequences, for while you may be safe now, in the future you could find yourselves in the firing line because you know too much."

"Until I can control One for All..." Midoriya muttered from beside them. "...I'll be a target. If they ever find out, I couldn't forgive myself if either of you or anyone else was hurt because of me..."

"That's my line," All Might muttered quietly, all eyes falling on the Number One Hero. "I trust that you are both aware not to discuss this with anyone else."

They were both silent, the atmosphere in the room shifting as it became very clear that they had stumbled into something that went beyond a simple Quirk. It wasn't just a conspiracy or a theory anymore, it was all true. And with this knowledge, their worlds had opened ever so slightly to the bigger picture, something Tokoyami was finding had been happening far too much, far too quickly.

"I understand," He finally stated, finally breaking eye contact with the Hero to reach over and place a hand on Midoriya's shoulder. "We know now. There's no way to take that back, but if there's anyway we can support you, we will, right Shouji?"

"Of course," The taller boy stated. "I must admit, everything is tough to take in, but that won't change how we support you, Midoriya."

"You guys..." Midoriya muttered, feeling a few tears forming in the back of his eyes.

"I think we're done here," All Might finally stated, standing up slowly, his eyes trailing across all three of the students. "I believe I can trust the two of you, that much I have decided. I shall inform the Principal that you are aware of One for All. But under no circumstances are you to reveal this information to anyone else." As All Might walked towards the door, sliding it open and looking back, "For your own sakes, stay silent."

In an instant, he was gone, Midoriya breathing out a shaky sigh of relief as he wiped a few stray tears from the corner of his eyes.

Tokoyami felt his body loosen as he slumped back against the chair, the tenseness in his muscles evaporating in an instant, while Shouji was still trembling ever so slightly from the intimidation of the Number One Hero.

"I just had a stare down with the Number One Pro Hero," Tokoyami muttered to himself.

"That was certainly something..." Shouji mumbled.

"He took it better than I expected though," Midoriya admitted sheepishly, turning to the other two with a small shaky smile on his face. "You guys... Thanks."

"Any time Midoriya," He muttered.

 **"So are you gonna have tea with Endeavor next? Cuz I'm sure Todoroki's got some daddy issues to sort out,"** Dark Shadow stated, appearing beside Tokoyami's shoulder with a thumbs up.

"Endeavor having tea? Nope, can't picture it," Shouji stated thoughtfully. "Though I think we should let Todoroki sort those problems out himself."

"I get the feeling things aren't going to be the same any more," Tokoyami muttered, pushing himself off of the couch. "The world seemed so... simple. But now..."

Shouji nodded. "I get what you mean. It's like All Might just opened up a whole new world we hadn't known about."

"The world of Pro Heroes... And Pro Villains," Midoriya whispered. "I really am sorry that you're caught up in this, and I know this may sound selfish but I'm glad it was you two who found out first," Midoriya exclaimed, that determination beginning to return to his voice as he pushed himself up. "I trust you both and so does All Might!"

Tokoyami couldn't help but feel a warmth inside of him at Midoriya's rather touching words. Though he knew that he was caught up in something that went beyond the three of them, with Shouji there to hold them together and Midoriya's ever-present optimism, he felt like he could handle it all. Though... There was still one thing he had to do on his own.

"I think we should get going," He finally stated. "I believe it's time I go see my parents."

* * *

 **Gotta say, this was an extremely entertaining chapter to write. Tokoyami chatting with Aizawa and All Might is so much fun to write! Nothing much else to put here, but I hope you guys can leave a review if you're on or a comment/kudos if you're on AO3. Your comments keep me going!**

 **Next chapter - Confronting the parents and some research.**


	45. Parental Embarrassment! Reunions & Chats

**Author's Note - I'm British so I say Mum instead of Mom. I will not compromise on this for as long as I live.**

 **Chapter 45 - Enter Mrs. Shouji!**

As the school day ended, Midoriya bid the pair of Tokoyami and Shouji goodbye as he headed off towards the station to catch the train home, confidence brimming from him with every step and a promise to chat with them online when they could. Though they were both tired, Shouji suggested that they walk their usual route in an attempt to help Tokoyami build up some stamina.

Though Tokoyami was feeling somewhat tired from the events of the whole day, he was secretly grateful to have the time on the walk to think about what he was going to say when he got home to his parents.

They hadn't spoken properly in a week, aside from the occasional phone call and texts and he honestly didn't know how to approach the situation. On the one hand, he was hoping that he could go home and act like everything was normal, but on the other hand that tension wouldn't get resolved.

"They were proud of you, remember that," Shouji had reminded him, the text from earlier lingering on Fumikage's mind.

Before he was to head for home however, he needed to stop back at Shouji's house as he'd left a majority of his clothes and stuff in a backpack there. He had stayed at Shouji's for a week after all and he wasn't about to head home without all of his stuff.

They got to Shouji's place soon after reaching the familiar crossroads that separated their neighborhoods, Shouji pulling out his keys to unlock the front door. Though as his keys jostled in the lock, the door slid open before he could even finish turning the lock.

"It's open..." Shouji muttered quietly.

Opening the door silently, the pair shifted inside, Tokoyami suddenly beginning to feel very on guard as they realized they probably weren't alone.

So you could imagine the pair's surprise when, from the direction of the kitchen, they head a loud excitable cry.

From the kitchen doorway, a rather tall woman emerged. She was dressed in a dark black business suit and had chestnut brown hair that flowed down to her shoulders. Her face looked youthful, though Tokoyami noted small wrinkles around her forehead and her cheeks. Though her eyes caught his attention, bright glistening blue.

But the most striking feature of all was her six hands.

"Ah, Mezou!" She called out, rushing towards the pair before rather ferociously pulling the surprised Shouji into a massive hug. "I have missed you so much," She exclaimed. "You did so well during the Festival today, your father and I were rooting for you!"

"M-Mum?" Shouji spluttered out in surprise. "You said you weren't due back for another few days. Your business trip..."

"Oh, it's fine. Your father stayed behind to sort out the deal with the company, but I wanted to come home and congratulate you on your work in the festival!" The tall woman finally released her son, a small smile on her face as she finally noticed that Shouji wasn't the only one home. "Ah, oh you must be Fumikage Tokoyami, right? You were ever so impressive in the Sport's Festival, I'm sure you'll get lots of offers! I think you really should have won, honestly!" She asked, looking over to him.

"Y-Yeah, that's right, Mrs Shouji," He muttered awkwardly, the praise washing over him rather suddenly, Tokoyami unsure of how to react. Obviously he knew Shouji's parents were away that week and he'd not had the chance to meet them yet, but meeting his mother face to face, it was an experience. "Thank you for your kind words."

"Oh, well aren't you a polite one," She said impressively, two of her hands on her hips as she glanced back at her son, two more of her hands pointing at him. "You could learn a thing or two, young man."

"C'mon, I'm not that bad, am I?" Mezou groaned, looking to Tokoyami for some sort of reassurance.

"Define bad," Tokoyami shrugged, much to Shouji's horror and his mother's amusement.

"I'm going to hazard a guess that you're the person who owns all the dark clothing that I've been finding around the house then?" She asked pointedly towards Tokoyami.

He felt his feathers fluff up in embarrassment as he noticed a small pile of his clothes sitting on the coffee table amidst a pile of movies that the pair had binged during their week of training. He had to admit, he had been rather distracted and hadn't noticed the mess. "I-I apologize," He muttered, bowing ever so slightly.

"Oh, it's fine. Given this one doesn't have much to actually mess up, it was a nice change of pace," She shrugged, glancing towards her son who's mask-tips were bright red. "Still, you never told me you had a boyfriend, Mezou."

At this, Shouji's entire face turned bright red, Tokoyami's feathers, which were already fluffed up, full on puffed up as he felt himself blushing underneath his feathers, unable to form a reply to that. "No m'am, we're not-"

"Oh my god Mum, we're friends!?" Shouji spluttered, interrupting his stammering, Tokoyami now finding a piece of the wallpaper to be very interesting as he refused to meet their gazes, surprise etched across his face while he felt Dark Shadow laughing his ass off in his mind.

"Ah, I apologize then. I really thought, oh well," She muttered, a wary eye now locked on Tokoyami who was blushing so hard he was sure his feathers were starting to turn red. "I'm only teasing of course," She laughed. "Though if you ever do hook up, I called it first and you better tell me."

"MUM!?" Shouji practically pushed her out of the room as she began to laugh up a storm. The way her blue eyes twinkled with mirth and the way her face lit up at her son's reaction, it was very foreign, very different to the way Tokoyami had been brought up. It felt nice.

Meanwhile, as Shouji was attempting to reiterate to his mother that no, they were not dating and he wasn't hiding a boyfriend anywhere, Tokoyami quickly ran to pick up his things before Mrs. Shouji could provide any more ways to make both of the boys fluster.

After a few rather overly-tense minutes, Shouji returned to the living room with a sigh, his shoulders slumped as he looked over at his friend.

"I am _so_ sorry for that." Tokoyami shrugged his shoulders in response, slinging his backpack onto his back.

Shouji had a hand to his face in absolute mortification, though Tokoyami couldn't help but see the funny side of it all. "At least I made a good first impression," He chuckled.

"That's not funny Toko," He muttered, though it was clear from his voice that he found it just as funny.

"You call him Toko, are you sure you're not dating-" The voice of the devil known as Shouji's mother called from behind the door leading to the bedrooms.

"Okay, I'm leaving!" Tokoyami announced loudly, practically rushing to the door with Shouji close behind. The rather uproarious laughter of Shouji's mother certainly stayed with him as he rushed out the door, stopping to look back at Shouji who was holding the wooden door open.

"Seriously, I am sorry if you felt uncomfortable," Shouji began, "She doesn't know when to stop sometimes."

Tokoyami folded his arms. "Can't say that was what I was expecting from the mother of Mezou Shouji. Though you've got a lot of her in you," He explained.

"Everybody says that, but I think it's just the arms," Shouji explained. "Anyway, good luck with your own parents. I'll message you tomorrow, I'd like to spend the night with my Mum, try and convince her that we're not secretly planning to elope."

And now Tokoyami had the visuals of them eloping in his mind.

Brilliant.

"Of course," He stammered, trying to shake away those thoughts. Shouji was his friend, nothing more, "Thank you for putting up with me this week," He smiled, Dark Shadow slipping out to give Shouji a wave as well.

 **"Tell our mother in law that she's hilarious,"** Dark Shadow deadpanned.

"Dark Shadow, please, if she hears you joking..." Shouji pleaded, one of his arms forming an eye to glance back in the house.

Before Dark Shadow could get out a reply, Tokoyami quickly willed the dark Quirk back into his body with a silent reminder to scold him later on after he'd gotten some rest. He looked apologetically at Shouji, who shrugged his shoulders. "You were here for a week, Toko, I'm used to him by now."

"Fair enough," Tokoyami replied, "See you later Shouji."

"See you, Toko!"

If Tokoyami had chosen to look back as Shouji showed the door, he might have noticed a very conflicted look appear on the taller boy's face, he might have seen the way the taller boy watched him go with a longing in his eyes. But as it was, he noticed nothing, his mind mulling over the meeting with Shouji's mother and the upcoming reunion with his parents.

* * *

The sun had begun to set as Tokoyami trudged up to his front door, having taken his time walking back purposefully. His slow pace meant that the light was already beginning to fade as evening set in, his home lit up in the dim warm orange glow of sundown. He hadn't been back in a whole week and he couldn't help but stop just before the polished wooden front door.

He had no idea what to expect. His mother and father were proud of him according to his last text, but it was a different experience reading a text, as it was talking to someone face to face. Could they have been lying as a ploy to get him to come home? Was this all just some cruel elaborate joke?

His parents wouldn't stoop so low as to trick him, would they? They had seen his performance during the Festival, they had to know that he couldn't just back out of U.A. or his chosen career after such a debut. But that wouldn't stop his mother if she put her mind to it. And his father would probably passively go along with her plan as usual.

Tokoyami clenched his fists together as he pulled out his keys, resting the key in the lock for a moment. He couldn't run away from this, he knew that. He'd started this by sneaking out to train and this escalated into something else entirely, but still... The trepidation as he finally gathered the courage to turn the lock kept him feeling tense as he heard the click of the door unlocking.

He pulled down the handle and slipped inside quickly, the house deathly quiet as he stepped across the threshold of the door frame, turning to shut the door silently behind him.

Slowly, he walked through the hallway to the living room, where he could hear the television playing from the other side of the room. And as he stepped in, he noticed his mother was sitting on the sofa facing towards him, his father nowhere to be seen.

He froze, not sure what to say or do as his mother looked up from the book she was reading to see him, her eyes widening ever so slightly as she realized that her son had returned.

Neither of them spoke for a few moment, his red eyes unable to meet her icy blue gaze, until she gave a small sigh and gently placed her book down.

"You did well today, Fumikage," She said sweetly, folding her hands in her lap as she looked towards him with a tentative smile. "Did you get our text?"

"Y-Yeah," He stammered, gesturing to his phone. "I wasn't sure..." He continued, "...what to think."

"Well, we said we were proud of you," She explained ever so quietly, her voice silent as a whisper. From the slight puffiness around her blue eyes and the way her voice seemed to tremble as she spoke, it was clear she had been crying.

He placed his backpack on the dining table next to him, looking down to the floor, feeling a small pit of shame beginning to form in his stomach. He had to admit, seeing his mother and the clear way she was trying to hold it together... "I'm sorry," He muttered quietly, one hand gripping the back of one of their wooden dining chairs.

His mother said nothing, instead calmly standing up from her spot on the sofa. He didn't react as she walked towards him, stopping a few feet away with an uncertain look on her face. For a moment, he thought she was going to just walk past him when, "I worried about you, all week."

"I know."

"I was so scared for you all day, terrified that you'd get hurt or that you wouldn't find the success you were looking for..."

"I know."

She clasped her hands together, shaking ever so slightly as she continued to stare at him, her gaze boring into his mind like a drill, finding all the cracks. He could only withstand it for a moment before turning to face her once more.

He could see tears in her eyes. "Most of all," She started, "I was afraid of losing my son..."

He looked away again, unable to meet those caring eyes without feeling that intense burning hatred for his own actions, seeing just how much hurt he'd inflicted on his mother and probably his father as well. It was shameful.

"I-I'm sorry," He stated again, this time his own voice trembling as he tried to hold in all of the emotions that had boiled up over the past week.

Though as his mother reached out and placed a warm, gentle hand on his shoulder reassuringly, he found it impossible to keep himself bottled up anymore.

His whole body shook with sobs as he felt warm tears dripping down his face and onto his feathers. He felt his mother wrap her arms around him in a loving embrace as he continued to mutter apology after apology for how he had treated the people who raised him.

It only took her a few moments to join him, tears spilling from her eyes as she whispered about how sorry she was for trying to pressure him into something he didn't want, how she just wanted what was best for him, but that she knew it was ultimately his life.

Tokoyami's father stepped out of the study a few minutes later with a warm greeting as the other two tried to dry their tears. He used to think he was like his father, but he had some of his mother in him for sure.

He explained about his week when the three of them sat down on the sofa, while his father began to compliment his skills in the tournament, though strangely enough to Fumikage, it seemed that Dark Shadow was rather silent, not appearing once throughout the whole affair. He talked about meeting Shouji's parents and how he was learning to control Dark Shadow, all things that his father was very happy to hear about.

Though he wasn't getting away from his week off without punishment. While he wasn't grounded like some kids normally would be, his mother saw it fit to have him take on the house chores for the next few days, until the internships.

So he found himself alone in his bedroom after a stressful day, glad to be back in a familiar surrounding.

The dark atmosphere of his room was something he had seriously been missing since his impromptu stay at Shouji's place, glad to have all of his dark curtains, bat wings and even the sword above his bed, back in his possession. His laptop was sitting on the desk, switched off completely, and for once he didn't feel the need to check it.

He'd done enough talking for one day and wanted to just rest. The day had felt so long, so he decided to head to bed early and rest up for the inevitable chores and questions he'd get from Shouji and Midoriya tomorrow about his situation.

Though after he'd showered and gotten himself ready to sleep, even dimming the lights ever so slightly until it was just the quiet lamplight illuminating him, he felt something stir.

 **"Can we talk?"** Dark Shadow asked quietly.

His Quirk had awakened silently, slipping out of the covers to look at his host with those bright yellow eyes of his. And Tokoyami begrudgingly propped himself up onto his elbow, sitting himself up to listen to his Quirk.

"What is it?" He asked, stifling a yawn as he did so. Though he was surprised to see Dark Shadow timidly move closer, nestling up close to Fumikage's face. "Okay, you're acting different..."

Those yellow pinpricks looked away for a moment, conflicted, before glancing back up at their host, **"D-Did I do good today?"** Dark Shadow asked gently.

Was that even a question that needed answering? "Of course you did good, Dark Shadow. What's gotten into you?"

 **"I just want to know if we're okay..."** His Quirk answered shyly. **"We've been at each other's throats all week but today... I wanted to help. That's all."**

So that was it.

Of course they had been at odds all week. Tokoyami had started learning a technique that purposefully negated his Quirk's power, and on top of that they had been angry at each other ever since he lost control during the USJ attack. Was he really okay with his Quirk? Dark Shadow had the potential to go out of control, he knew, but at the same time...

"You helped so much," Tokoyami admitted. "Whenever things got awkward, you picked up the mood..." He explained, thinking back to the many one-liners hit Quirk had sprung, both at his expense and at his friend's expenses. "We fought as one today." And that much was true. Through their battles, Tokoyami felt more of a kinship with his Quirk than ever before.

 **"That's all I wanted to hear, thanks Fumikage,"** Dark Shadow whispered, shutting his own eyes before dissipating into a sleep-state.

"W-Wait, I just remembered, what were you talking about with Shouji earlier?" He asked, his mind flashing to the moment he caught the pair chatting privately, though Dark Shadow was already asleep by the time he asked. "Damnit..." He muttered to himself.

Though very soon he felt himself lost to the realm of sleep as his exhaustion and fatigue finally caught up with him, and for a single night, everything was dreamless.


	46. Resting Up! Forest Training!

**Chapter 46 - Resting up! Forest Training!**

The day after the Sport's Festival was a quiet affair.

Tokoyami had spent the entire day helping out around the house with various chores thanks to his parent's insistence after he'd returned from his week away at Shouji's place. Vacuuming the house, cleaning all the furniture, polishing all the surfaces, doing the laundry, washing up and other random chores, he was kept busy as he worked away in an attempt to win his way back into his parent's good graces.

The only thing keeping him sane was the small side-chat that Shouji had set up online for some of their closest friends. Tokoyami, Shouji, Kouda, Midoriya, Uraraka and Tsuyu were all added to this small little chat, while the rest of the class were kept at arm's length in the more public chat where Tokoyami could only cringe at the various memes, jokes and other conversation topics occurred.

He knew he was more reserved than most of his classmates and that came off as being either irritable or stand-offish, to the point of being unapproachable, but he neither cared nor wanted to change that aspect of his personality, seeing as he wanted to base his Hero persona off of that mysterious cool vibe he'd been reaching for recently.

However, the smaller chat had mitigated the majority of his problems as the group within were all just interested in talking about normal things like grades, how they did in the festival and **not dabbing.** And it was the only thing keeping him going as he traversed the rather awkward atmosphere of his own household.

His mother had not said another word of the incident to him, yet whenever she thought Tokoyami wasn't looking, he'd notice her eyes grown sullen and sad, as if she was putting on a front.

His father, on the other hand, had invited him into his study after he'd finished all of his chores, which Tokoyami realized he hadn't done since the first day of U.A. when he told his Dad about his position in the Quirk Assessment Exam.

"Fumikage, we need to talk," His father said as they both took their seat in the quiet office, his father sipping on a small cup of tea, another sitting across from his desk in front of Tokoyami.

"If this is about the week away, I already told you I was sorry for my actions," Fumikage began.

"No, that's not it at all," His father replied, cutting his son off mid-sentence. His father's voice grew deathly serious, his father's brows lowering into a frown. And Tokoyami could only gulp nervously as he realized this wasn't going to be an easy conversation.

His Father was a businessman, but he was also once an aspiring hero himself. Though he was steered from that path, Mr Tokoyami had enough experience from his youth, and through his contacts in today's society, to tutor his son in the ways of being a hero. That was why he hired Airdriver, a Hero who would fit perfectly with his son in terms of personality and method. In other words, his father knew his stuff regarding Fumikage and Dark Shadow.

"When your friend Shouji was here the other day," His father began, arms leaning forward on his desk, hands clasped together. "He told me something interesting."

Tokoyami almost didn't want to ask. But, it wasn't really a choice to begin with. "What did he say?"

"He told me that you hadn't informed him or anyone else about Dark Shadow's more dangerous abilities," His father explained sharply. "He was unaware that Dark Shadow had the ability to take you over should the circumstances arise, as well as a general lack of understanding of your Quirk." His father eyed him warily, breathing a sigh of exhaustion, as if he wished he wasn't having this conversation. "I thought you better than this, Fumikage. Hiding your Quirk's true power? Not informing people of its danger?"

"I didn't want people to judge me," Tokoyami muttered, eyes at the floor, unable to meet his father's gaze.

He knew that his conscious choice to not inform anyone about Dark Shadow's power would come back to bit him one day, but he was already unapproachable before his Quirk became an issue. Adding on Dark Shadow's more violent tendencies would only serve to scare his classmates away.

He didn't want that.

"You have a group of friends, right?" His father asked. "I'm guessing some of them are aware of your Quirk's nature now?"

"Yes..."

"And do they judge you or treat you any differently?" His father asked, leaning forwards towards his son.

"N-no..." He stammered back.

His father, satisfied with the answer, leaned back in his desk chair, "Then why are you worried? They don't treat you any differently, so be open with them. I'm not saying to tell them your life story, but for both your safety and theirs, they should be made aware of what Dark Shadow is capable of."

"I understand," Tokoyami muttered, eyes glancing longingly at the door. "Can I go now?"

"You don't need to ask," His father chuckled, sipping the last of his tea from his cup. "Oh, before you go, that Shouji boy, he's very fond of you, isn't he."

Tokoyami blinked, realizing very quickly where this was going. And he wanted no part in this conversation. "Y-Yes," He stammered, backing away towards the study door. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," His father shrugged, though, from the look on his Dad's face, there was very clearly a war going on in his head as to whether he wanted to say something more.

Fumikage got out of that room before his father could change his mind, retreating to his bedroom and closing the door shut with a soft click, before breathing out a sigh of frustration.

 **"You seem upset,"** were the first words he heard as he sat down at his computer desk, not bothering to acknowledge the Quirk who was currently slithering up beside him.

"If another person tries to tell me about my friendship with Shouji, I swear-"

 **"You'll do what? Get flustered and stalk off,"** Dark Shadow playfully teased. **"Gotta say, I can't believe Dad even picked up on that stuff."**

"There's no stuff to pick up on," Tokoyami barked, rolling his eyes at his Quirk as he switched on his laptop. "Really, Shouji and I are just friends."

 **"Just like you and Midoriya are just friends too, right?"** Tokoyami groaned in response, flicking his Quirk on the head to shut him up for a moment, though it seemed to only fuel the fires as Dark Shadow began to chuckle rather loudly next to him.

"Why must you focus on such trivial matters?" He asked while logging on to their chat site, hoping that someone would be online to distract him for the moment.

 **"Because you're too dense to do it yourself,"** Dark Shadow deadpanned.

At this, Tokoyami chose to block his Quirk out, Dark Shadow giving off another one of his rumbling laughs as he slithered over and coiled up on the bed to relax. And for a few blessed moments, Fumikage had some privacy from his Quirk, his family and most importantly, those pesky feelings that had been building up over the last few days.

Because while he was certainly playing off all of the comments and assumptions about his friendships with Shouji and Midoriya, on the inside it was a whole other story.

There was only so much you could block out before your own mind started to wonder about the potential outcomes. What if he did like Shouji? What if he did like Midoriya? What if he liked them both? What if he liked neither of them? What if they liked him back? What if they didn't like him back? All questions that had, at least once that day, raced through his mind thanks to everything that had happened.

And of course, while his mind had begun to think about such topics, who would be online and chatting right now, but the two objects of his current... affection? Was that right, Tokoyami wasn't sure. Whatever the case, he found himself sitting down to catch up on their group chat's discussion in the hope that he'd be able to relax his mind for the rest of the evening.

 **Deku: So Shouji, I never got to ask, but what made you want to be a Hero anyway?**

 **Tentacle: Ah, I just want to help people. Carrying other people's burdens is my way of giving back to the world, y'know.**

 **Deku: You mentioned that during the Obstacle Course. You said you'd carry the burdens of Tsuku and I, plus you wanted to make sure the class was alright.**

 **Uravity: Shouji, you're so the class's really nice Uncle or something!**

 **Froppy: Shouji, you support the class in a very impressive way, ribbit.**

 **Deku: It's so cool how supportive you are, but you're also super down to earth too! You're so easy to talk with and you give great hugs too!**

 **Uravity: Does Deku like Shouji's hugs!?**

At this, Tokoyami couldn't help but feed the fire, quickly typing in a response to get involved in the conversation, imagining the mortified expression on both Midoriya and Shouji's faces.

 **Tsukuyomi: Shouji IS the class's best platonic hugger after all.**

 **Tentacle: Do we have to bring this up, Toko?**

 **Tsukuyomi: Yes. Yes, we do.**

His mind drifted back to that horrible moment, just ten days ago, when Shouji had first come around for dinner, his mother walking in on their hug. His reply still etched into the abyss of Tokoyami's mind fueling his current revenge. **  
**

 **Froppy: You argue like a married couple.**

Tokoyami honestly had no response to that, his hands pausing over his keyboard keys as he realized that no matter where he went, it seemed that everyone was going to continue pestering him about his friendship with Shouji in some way. Luckily for him, Midoriya, who had been typing since his first message, was about to change the conversation.

 **Deku: I mean, uh, well, Shouji kinda does give good hugs. Like, really good hugs, like super good hugs. Not that other people's hugs are bad or anything but Shouji's got the six arms and he's just compassionate and people like that are really good at hugg-**

 **Uravity: Even in a chat room, his muttering is an artform...**

If anyone could find a way to mutter over a text chat, it was Midoriya. At least he kept it all in one message though, leaving it manageable.

 **Tentacle: My hugs solve all the world's problems.**

 **Tsukuyomi: Try having your mother walk in on you when Shouji offers to hug you. That's creating a problem, not solving one.**

 **Froppy: I think it'd be rather cute, ribbit.**

Tokoyami felt his face flush red, despite the darkness of his feathers concealing his embarrassment. It certainly wasn't a cute experience for him when it actually happened, more like mortifying and downright traumatising.

 **Tentacle: I thought it was rather funny.**

 **Tsukuyomi: You told my mother that looking after me was your full-time job, Shouji.**

 **Uravity: Oh my god, seriously!?**

 **Deku: He's not wrong though.**

 **Tentacle: Midoriya, you have no room to talk. I had to look after you yesterday just as much as I did Toko.**

 **Anima: Can confirm ^^^**

 **Deku: Kouda, you traitor!?**

 **Froppy: Can you believe we've only known each other for just under four weeks, ribbit?**

That last comment by Tsuyu was enough to get Tokoyami to do a double-take. Just under four weeks? Had it really only been that short of a time since they all entered U.A? Sure, he knew Midoriya for six months before he went to the school and he met Shouji at the exam, but still, he had to agree with Tsuyu. It felt like much longer.

Class 1-A had been through so much together, from the USJ incident to the Sport's Festival, they had experienced countless dangers and hurdles and had all managed to overcome them together, as a class.

 **Deku: Technically I've known Tsuku for around seven months, but still, it feels like I've known you all forever!**

 **Tentacle: I honestly don't know what I'd do without you all in my life.**

 **Tsukuyomi: Go to the gym, exist, train, stud-**

 **Tentacle: It was a rhetorical question Tsuku.**

 **Tsukuyomi: You mean Toko right? Isn't Tsuku Midoriya's choice of nickname for me.**

 **Deku: Oh, Shouji you can totally use my nickname too if you want, though you don't have to if you don't want to, but I know that Toko has some sentimental meaning since it was your own nickname that you came up wit-**

 **Anima: Um, I heard Ashido say this the other day and I'm not sure what it means, but I think it's appropriate.**

 **Uravity: Huh?**

 **Anima: Uh... Get a room?**

Tokoyami blinked. Then blinked again, as if trying to wash what Kouda just said from existence in the hope that it was a mistake or a trick of the light. But no, Kouda, the chronically shy and innocent person in the group, had just told the three of them to get a room.

"Nope, I'm done," Tokoyami stated, slipping off of his chair and walking over to the bed. "No more high school drama, I'm going to study."

 **"You know, if everyone's saying it, they must have a point. You and Shouji..."**

"No, Dark Shadow. It isn't going to happen."

* * *

With one day left before the group returned to school to check on the various scouting reports, Tokoyami had decided that for the first time in a while, he wanted to do some physical training. Being told by All Might, Aizawa, the other students and just about anyone with an opinion, that he needed to stop relying on his Quirk was enough to get him motivated.

And it was a fairly standard day, not too sunny with a few clouds overhead. The weather had reported it would be raining the day after, so he figured now would be the best time to train in the outdoors.

Only he couldn't train alone.

The vast forest that stretched out across the countryside behind his home was the perfect place for Quirk-users to train, as long as they stayed away from any buildings and had self-control. Plus, with special permission from the city council, courtesy of his teacher and of U.A. he was able to use the forest as he wished as long as he didn't accidentally burn it down or something.

But he had only ever trained with his teacher. And Airdriver was halfway across the country, so he'd need a sparring partner.

"So this is where you used to train," Shouji muttered, the six-armed boy striding alongside his friend as they went deeper into the foliage.

Convincing Shouji to train was simple enough. His mother had already left on another business trip and he was home alone once more. He didn't have anything extra to do that day aside from some studying, so he had instead come over to Tokoyami's for the afternoon.

Though admittedly the reception had been quite frosty. His mother had thanked Shouji for the hard work in keeping her son at his place for the week, but both of the boys could feel the tension in the air as they headed out to train.

Though as they headed deeper into the forest, the light beginning to dimmer slightly as the canopy overhead darkened their surroundings, Shouji couldn't help but notice Tokoyami beginning to visibly relax.

"I used to train here all the time with Airdriver, my teacher," Tokoyami explained casually, running a hand along the bark of a worn tree stump. "I like it out here..."

"I can tell," Shouji remarked, glancing around at the rather peaceful scenery. "Can't believe you have this whole forest to yourself to train in though."

Tokoyami glanced back at him with a roll of his eyes. "Anyone can use the forest to train, as long as they don't burn the place down. Even you, if you really wanted to, as long as you were with someone who has a permit."

"That someone being you," Shouji muttered, Tokoyami nodding his head.

They finally reached a small clearing that Tokoyami seemed to recognize, if his expression was anything to go by, the boy walking over to a fallen tree sitting near the side of the area, before placing down the small backpack he'd brought with him. "This clearing's as good a place as any for sparring."

Shouji moved up beside him dropping his own bag down before glancing over towards the centre of the clearing. "So what sort of training are you planning on doing today?"

"Mainly some upper body strength," Tokoyami explained vaguely, gesturing to his arms. "Since I need to learn how to fight without Dark Shadow, I figured some push-ups and other exercises would work best."

"And you couldn't just go to the gym for that?" Shouji asked incredulously.

Tokoyami scoffed at that. "Sure, I'll go to the gym when it's convenient, but don't you think there's something fun about training in the outdoors?"

Shouji was silent at that, his eyes slowly drifting across the forested landscape around them, taking in the sound of insects chirping in the distance, as well as the small breeze that had picked up that was rustling leaves across the ground around them. He had to admit, Tokoyami was right. Being outside was quite... Appealing.

The pair worked on some small training exercises for the first hour or so, Shouji not so much as breaking a sweat while Tokoyami was doing his best to keep up with his friend's rather intense work-ethic to no success, though it would be wrong to say Tokoyami wasn't trying. He was no slouch either and was still doing pretty well after their first hour, though he admittedly had built up a sweat.

Dark Shadow was silent as they picked themselves off the ground, having chosen the day to rest knowing that Tokoyami wouldn't want him interfering during the training. As such, it was just Shouji and Tokoyami out there for the first time in a long while.

"You need to push more," Shouji stated as they pulled out some water bottles from their packs. "Can't get stronger unless you go beyond your limits."

"I am aware, though I am also grateful for the help. I thought you'd be home with your mother today so I didn't think you'd actually come and train with me," Tokoyami explained, though as he said this, he noticed Shouji's expression falter. "Shouji?"

"It's fine," The other boy sighed, leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree. "She's not around much, neither is my father. I'm used to it."

"She seems nice, aside from the whole..." His words faltered as he thought back to their conversation two days prior and the insinuation that Shouji's mother had assumed. "...thing..."

"The boyfriend thing?" Shouji asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, the boyfriend thing," Tokoyami groaned, rolling his eyes. "How can you even say that so casually?"

"Because one of us has to be the calm one," Shouji deadpanned. "You're so expressionless at school, but when people catch you off guard, your faces are priceless."

Tokoyami could feel his feathers puffing up ever so slightly, tilting his head upwards to glance at the sky in the vain hopes that it would cool down his emotions.

"Still... I sometimes envy you Toko," Shouji muttered quietly, the boy folding his arms as he took another swig of his water bottle. "You have two parents who care about you, I have two parents who can't make time for me."

He was unsure of how to respond, not sure what to say to the taller boy given this was a rather personal topic for Shouji. They had only known each other for a month, but he felt he knew how Shouji was feeling... Like he wasn't being recognized enough for his own merits.

Just as his friend had been concerned about his chances at the festival, perhaps his desire for approval stemmed from something much deeper than the bird-boy had initially thought.

But still...

"Shouji, I-" He took a step towards his friend and placed a hand on one of his free arms, looking straight up at the taller boy. "Your parents are trying their best. So are mine, and I can't begin to know your past or experiences but just know that I'll always make time for you. Even when others won't."

"Toko...?"

"Seriously, we're best friends right. If you ever want to talk... I'm here," He smiled gently.

He wasn't sure how Shouji had taken his little speech, but after all the motivating words that Tokoyami had heard from Shouji for the past week, it was high time he returned the favour and helped his friend out. Shouji was like the Uncle of their class, the guy who wanted to carry their burdens, but who was the one to carry his burdens? Tokoyami couldn't help but want to be that person.

"Thank you," Shouji finally stated, a smile forming on one of his extra mouths. "That means a lot Toko, really."

"Now let's get some more training done. Can't skip leg day after all."

* * *

 **The return of the chat-fic! I just find it to be an easy way to convey story when clearly none of the character would be interacting in person. I don't use the technique often, but it's been a while and I couldn't resist.**

 **Fumikage's Dad isn't all too happy with his son given Tokoyami neglected, and still has neglected, to tell most of his class about the whole "Dark Shadow can possess me" thing. I think we can all see where the Dad is coming from given the danger Dark Shadow can pose.**

 **And I wanted to do a small training bit with Shouji and Toko. I originally was going to have Midoriya come over as well as a way of recompense for missing their Training Session back before Tokoyami's Midnight session with Aizawa, but Izuku's arm was still recovering that day so I had to put that idea on hold.**

 **Anyway, hopefully, you guys enjoyed! Updates will be a little slower now I'm working on a new arc and I need to get some of my ideas in check, but every comment, review, kudos, etc keeps me motivated! Keep em coming!**


	47. Heroic Names and Drafted Gains!

**Chapter 47 - Heroic Names and Drafted Gains!**

If there was one thing in life that Tokoyami found himself able to enjoy more than anything else, it was the rain. Something about how the water felt on his feathers as the dark grey clouds settled into the sky made him feel at ease. He'd always been one for the dark and gothic, a good old thunderstorm was a great way to show that. Though it seemed he was one of the few to enjoy such days.

As he and Shouji headed towards U.A. to discover the results of the drafts, he could see people rushing from cover to cover in an attempt to stay dry, others holding out umbrellas to shield themselves from the deluge. The only reason he wasn't letting the rain hit him that morning was because Shouji had been clever enough to have multiple umbrellas and was attempting to keep Tokoyami from soaking his school uniform, even though Tokoyami had argued he was wearing a raincoat and that it was just a splash of water.

So Tokoyami settled for kicking small puddles of water as they walked past, relishing in the feeling of the water beneath is soles. Shouji had rolled his eyes at his friend, though there was a mirth in his expression as he watched his friend enjoy himself.

It was the simple things that really mattered in life.

They reached U.A. fairly early, the rain having spurred them to walk ever-so-slightly faster than usual and after putting away their umbrellas and raincoats in their lockers, they headed for their classroom.

Tokoyami had to admit he was feeling slightly nervous as they entered their class, giving a nod of his head to the classmates already gathered, noting that Midoriya and Iida had still yet to arrive.

They were going to discover the results of their draft picks, and he couldn't help the worry that maybe he hadn't done enough to impress the right Heroes.

"You'll do fine," Shouji had reassured him multiple times. "You were so impressive in the Festival, you'll get tons of offers."

Luckily, his thoughts were interrupted by the rest of the class, who were all excitedly talking animatedly amongst themselves.

"I had all these people talking to me on the way here!" Ashido squealed to anyone who'd listen.

"Me too!" Kaminari grinned.

Tooru chimed in with a "Same here! So many stares! It was embarrassing!"

Tokoyami couldn't help but wonder how she felt being stared at was weird given her whole Quirk was being invisible. You don't see floating clothes every day, though as he thought this, there was a sensation in the back of his mind that seemed to whisper that he was no different. He did have the head of a raven after all.

"All these grade-schoolers told me I made a good effort," Sero grumbled to himself, folding his arms.

Everyone erupted into laughter only moments later when Tsuyu quietly croaked, "Good effort," to him with her famed deadpan expression.

"One little event, and suddenly the world's got its eye on us," Shouji though aloud, taking his seat next to Tokoyami.

"Hmph, that's U.A. for you..." Tokoyami admitted, leaning back in his chair as he noticed Midoriya and Iida walk in.

Midoriya gave a small wave with his banged-up arms, Tokoyami inwardly glad that the boy was able to move them again. Watching him walk around in a sling was bad enough after the Festival.

It was in that moment that the door to their classroom opened and in stepped a familiar figure, the drawl of Aizawa's voice reaching them as he announced himself with a stern, "Morning."

 **"Good Morning!"** The class replied back, with Tsuyu adding a quiet, "Good to see your bandages off, Mr Aizawa."

As she said, it seemed that the bandages from the USJ attack had finally been removed and Aizawa seemed back to his old self, his scruffy, messy yet somehow terrifying self. Though as he thought that, Tokoyami couldn't help but notice how Aizawa brushed up against his left eye like it was still in some sort of pain.

"The old lady's treatment was excessive. But never mind that. Today we've got Hero Informatics class. And a special one at that," Aizawa drawled, everyone freezing up at that.

Aizawa's definition of special certainly never lined up with their interests and Tokoyami was certainly not feeling ready for a surprise pop quiz or a surprise essay. And judging by the look on everyone's faces, it seemed their thoughts were lining up with his own. Nobody wanted to do a test. So they were pleasantly surprised, to say the least, when the truth was announced.

"You'll be coming up with your Hero Aliases!"

Tokoyami's heart soared as he heard this, excitement building up inside of him as he realized what that meant. While others in the class launched up in excitement, he kept himself fairly composed in his seat, his mind sharply turning towards the matter at hand.

A Hero Name was something you were stuck with once chosen. It wasn't something you could simply rebrand from and needed to really represent you. In the world of Heroes, it was a business decision that could cost you fans if your name wasn't catchy or popular. But he already knew what he wanted to be called, he'd known since the very beginning, as he suspected many of the class had thought as well.

"But first... concerning the Pro draft picks I mentioned the other day..." Aizawa began, everyone's excitement dying down for a moment as the other elephant in the room appeared. The Festival draft, who would have the most picks. "It's based on who the pros think will be ready to join the Hero workforce after another two or three years of experience. So you could say that it's a way for them to show interest in your futures."

Pro Heroes had a lot to consider when it came to draft picking. There were thousands of Heroes out there looking at them and with over 8,000 active Heroes in Japan, how many you could appeal to was important for the years to come.

"There's ample time for their interest to wane before you graduate, though. And any and all offers can be arbitrarily revoked. It happens quite often," Aizawa explained, the stakes beginning to raise as Aizawa explained the delicate balancing act of working hard and ensuring offers would still be there upon graduation.

"So if we're picked now, that just means there'll be higher hurdles in the years to come!" Hagakure stated in her bubbly voice, Aizawa nodding.

"Yes. Now here' the complete draft pick numbers. There's typically more of a spread..."

Aizawa's right hand gestured to the board behind him, where a small bar graph had appeared. And there were two extremely large bars at the top. "But our Top Two stole most of the spotlight."

Todoroki and Bakugou had absolutely massive bars, 4,123 and 3,456 draft picks respectively. That was almost ninety percent of the Pro Hero scene of Japan asking for just those two. Though as his eyes scanned the rest of the bars, the nerves inside of him died down with relief as he noticed the third bar had his name written next to it.

"Three-hundred and sixty draft picks," He muttered to himself, a feeling of pride surging up inside of him. Sure, he hadn't gone to the league of Todoroki or Bakugou, but he'd impressed some Pro Heroes. And that's more than most of the class can say.

He was sad, as he looked down the list, to see that both Shouji and Midoriya had failed to collect any picks for the draft. He glanced over at his six-armed companion, who was watching the board with a knowingly resigned look.

"Maybe next year," He heard Shouji mutter.

"I'm sorry Shouji," He muttered quietly, knowing just how much this meant to the other boy.

They both turned to Midoriya, who was just ahead of them at his desk, looking quietly at the board. "I guess I overdid it," Midoriya mumbled to himself.

Before Tokoyami could get a word in though, Aizawa's voice cut him off, "With that settled, whether you were picked or not... You will all have a chance to work alongside the pros."

That relief he felt as he saw he had draft picks seemed to release in full force from the rest of the class at those words, everyone glad that even though they weren't drafted, there were still backup options out there. Shouji and Midoriya would be fine.

"It's true that you all have already experienced more than most, but seeing the pros in action and taking part yourselves will still be worthwhile training."

He supposed it made sense. They had encountered the Villains at USJ but encountering a villain on patrol, taking care of public images, that sort of stuff was valued with the internships and he hoped to make good use of it. Tokoyami wasn't exactly the best with his image and the popularity aspect of the job would probably phase him, so any experience was better than no experience.

"So that's where our Hero names come in!" Uraraka realized loudly.

"They're only tentative, but you still want to pick something appropriate-" Aizawa began, when another voice interrupted him mid-sentence.

"Or else you'll know true hell!" A female voice announced, the classroom door sliding open to reveal a familiar figure that the class had gotten to know during the Sport's Festival. "The name you pick now may be what the world ends up calling you. That's happened to plenty of pros out there!"

With her body suit that was still clearly not meant for a school environment, Midnight strolled into the classroom with her confident smile, holding her hair back as she stepped towards the teacher's desk.

"She's right," Aizawa drawled. "Midnight here will be assessing the sensibility of the names you pick." He explained, his voice lowering to a murmur as he half-whispered, "I'm no good at that."

The name Eraserhead certainly didn't seem like it was Aizawa's dream idea for a name. It didn't inspire fear, as much as it reeked of simple cringe. Though Aizawa's career had managed to make the name menacing to the Villains of the world at least, and that was what counted, right?

"What future do you see for yourself? The name you choose will bring you ever closer to cementing a certain image... Because names are capable of reflecting one's true character."

Truer words had never been spoken, in Tokoyami's opinion. Thinking about the name on his mind, he had to admit that it certainly reflected his character in a way that was befitting of his Quirk and his personality. Though as he looked around the class, as everyone began thinking about their names, he had to wonder how they were all feeling.

Who knew what name they wanted? Who was indecisive? It was a big choice, picking a name that could potentially be stuck with you forever. Shouji seemed fairly quick at writing a name down, though Midoriya definitely seemed to be struggling. Tokoyami could see from his desk that the boy still hadn't written anything on their papers as the clock began to tick down until...

"Let's finish up," Midnight announced. "We can start with whoever's ready!"

The first two were exceptionally weird. Aoyama's " **Can't Stop Twinkling** " certainly fit his character, though Tokoyami had to wonder just how the heck that would fit on a sign or a billboard for a potential agency. And a full sentence could be pretty irritating to repeat during missions. Though he wondered whether he just didn't _get_ what Aoyama was going for.

Ashido's first attempt, Alien Queen, got a chuckle out of him. As a fan of the Alien moves, he had to admit she had guts wanting to be the villain, and he saw no problem with the name though Midnight was having none of it.

Tsuyu was next, "I've had this thought out since elementary school. Call me **Froppy.** " It was an adorable name and Tokoyami had to say, it fit Tsuyu perfectly.

The next few names were a blur, Kirishima and Jirou being **Red Riot** and **Earphone Jack** respectively.

Shouji was next to step up, bowing his head down as he revealed his name as... "Tentacle Hero: **Tentacole**."

Tokoyami wasn't sure what Shouji's name was going to be, but hearing it, he could tell that Shouji was fond of the name, and if his friend liked it, Tokoyami also had to like it. It only occurred to him then though that Shouji was actually really like an octopus. The many arms, the duplication, it was like he'd just been hit with an epiphany.

And he noted that Shouji was the only person so far to not use his online name from their chat site, though he supposed that Tentacle and Tentacole were pretty similar.

As Shouji sat down, Tokoyami noticed the taller boy let out a breath of relief.

"Were you worried we wouldn't like the name?" He whispered to his friend, who side-eye glanced at him without saying a word. "I thought it suited you pretty well," He added for good measure.

And then in a flash, it was his turn. And he had to admit, he got a stroke of luck going after Todoroki who made his first name his Hero name. Anything with an ounce of creativity would look good by comparison.

"I have decided upon this name," He explained, holding his board. "I've known this was my hero name since I could remember. The Jet-Black Hero: **Tsukuyomi**!"

"God of the Night!" Midnight exclaimed excitedly, everyone glancing towards her, some clearly not having gotten the reference.

Tokoyami sighed, shaking his head in annoyance before explaining, "Tsukuyomi as a Moon God. I believe that, given my abilities and my countenance, this was a perfect choice and I hope to live up to the name I have chosen."

A few claps from some of the students and he sat back down pretty quickly, letting out his own breath of relief.

"Were you worried we wouldn't like the name?" He heard Shouji smugly whisper.

"Hmph, you wish."

"It's a win-win for me," Midoriya muttered back to them. "I still get to call you Tsuku."

He felt the feathers on his cheeks ruffle at that, looking away from his two friends awkwardly as Kouda announced his hero name as **Anima** , ignoring Mineta who had already announced his name on deaf ears.

Bakugou's name was laughable at best, though Tokoyami couldn't help the bitter irony of his name, letting out a dark chuckle.

Uraraka nervously announced her name as **Uravity** without much trouble, though she definitely seemed a little embarrassed about the pun. But it suited her, Tokoyami admitted. Most of the names suited everyone, though he wasn't a big fan of **Pinky.**

"This went smoother than expected! All that's left is Bakugou's revision and Iida, and then Midoriya," Midnight announced.

His gaze drifted from the rather worried Midoriya to the other left to try. Iida's face was unusually sunken as he stared at his board, like nothing else seemed to exist.

"Being told to pick a Hero name after your brother is attacked," Shouji muttered beside him. "Iida's got it rough."

He was surprised though, when Iida announced his name simply as Tenya. For whatever reason, it felt like Iida had higher aspirations for his name, that and Iida's eyes were shut, looking down as he showed the name. That was a tell-tale sign that someone wasn't too proud of their choice.

But before his thoughts could dwell on that, he noticed Midoriya stepping up, determined.

And for the millionth time since they had met, it seemed Midoriya was surprising everyone.

"Are you sure about that, Midoriya!?" Ojirou had asked.

"Yeah. I always hated it." Midoriya's eyes were on Bakugou as he said it, the sandy-haired boy practically growling back at him. "But then someone helped me see it in a new light." Midoriya's eyes then shifted to Uraraka, who was beaming at this.

She was the first to call him Deku during their first Quirk exam, right? "It took me by surprise but it made me happy."

"That was when his gaze shifted directly into Tokoyami's own, the raven-headed boy freezing up as their eyes met. "I'm no longer the useless Deku who can't do anything right..." Tokoyami couldn't help but think back to their first meeting online, how this timid, shy, quirkless boy had messaged him. "I'm the Deku who gives it his all!"

Midoriya's gaze lingered on Shouji at that last sentence, Tokoyami wondering whether he was trying to inspire Shouji after his Festival performance. Or maybe he was reading too much into it.

"This will be my Hero name. **Deku.** "

After Midoriya had taken his seat, Aizawa uncurled from the sleeping bag he'd so quietly slipped into, a severity in his voice as he stated, "Your internships start in a week. For this all-important decision, I'll be handing out personalized lists to those who were drafted. You may choose from among those who scouted you. For those who were not drafted, the list I am going to pass out will contain forty agencies from all over the country willing to accept interns. You will choose one from that list."

He continued to explain the importance of picking the right agency, but as he was given his rather... large, personalized list, his mind was drawn to all the different Heroes that he could see. Morning Crow, Kakangan, Thirteen, as well as many new Agencies that had shown up recently.

"Submit your choices by this coming weekend," Aizawa continued to explain. "Also Tokoyami, Shouji, after class I need a word with the pair of you."

That certainly caught the duo's attention, the pair glancing at each other warily, then to Aizawa, who looked as expressionless as ever.

"Woah, Midoriya, you're practising air chair?!" Uraraka exclaimed, the tension evaporating as the brown haired girl fawned over Midoriya, who as Tokoyami had just realized, wasn't even sitting down.

"I've got to get stronger."

"Chase two hares and you'll fail to catch even one, Midoriya," He sagely muttered, everyone in the class giving him a weird look.

"Even for you, that was a weird statement," Shouji muttered as they all began to pack their belongings for the end of class. "So what does Aizawa want?"

"No idea," He replied to his tall friend. "We didn't break any school rules did we?"

"Perhaps it's related to the internships?" Midoriya suggested, popping up in between the pair before whispering, "I thought your Hero names were really cool."

Tokoyami nodded his head. "And Deku wasn't?" Tokoyami chuckled. "You have this presence about you Midoriya. It inspires even I, the darkest of the-"

"The most reclusive of recluses," Shouji mocked.

Midoriya was too busy blushing bright red from the compliment to reply, instead opting to shuffle ahead, giving them a small wave as they approached Aizawa.

"You wanted to see us, Sir?" Tokoyami asked.

Aizawa nodded bleakly to the pair before handing Tokoyami a slip of paper. "This..." He said, watching as Tokoyami took the form. "...was given to me by All Might. Your old teacher called in a favour, Tokoyami."

As Tokoyami's eyes scanned the paper, he realized very quickly this was a draft pick from... "Airdriver?"

"What does this have to do with me, Sir, if you don't mind me asking?"

Shouji folded his arms, glancing over at the paper Tokoyami was reading, but Aizawa just pointed to the paper and nudged Shouji in its direction.

"This draft pick is for the Airdriver Hero Agency," Tokoyami read aloud. "Airdriver has personally requested the presence of Fumikage Tokoyami and..." Tokoyami voice trailed off as his eyes widened.

"What is it, Toko?" Shouji asked.

Tokoyami just gestured to the paper, as he continued to read. "...personally requested the presence of Fumikage Tokoyami and Mezou Shouji at his office in Kyushu."

Shouji's eyes widened in surprise. "I got drafted?!"

* * *

 **In my headcanon, all Shouji wanted was to get a draft and I think it was obvious I was setting up Toko to go with his old tutor. And now Shouji's along for the ride. But it's not as simple as you might think. Trust me, this arc is going to get very fun, though updates may be slower than you're used to.**

 **Also, for those confused about Tokoyami chuckling at Bakugou's name, it was a reference to his Japanese Hero Name, prior to being translated. It's basically a massive pun. Look it up if you get the chance, it's good stuff!**

 **Anyway, sorry for such a long wait on this chapter, but I've been busy. Gotta pay the bills first, though if anyone's interested in helping out with that, I have a dedicated to my content creation I do as my primary job -** **Billybo10K (That's my user, can't use links here)**

 **It'll explain why I'm so busy and not able to write most of the time.**


	48. Internship Selection! To Kyushu we go!

**Chapter 48 - Internship Selection! To Kyushu we go!**

"What is he playing at?" Tokoyami grumbled to himself, stalking through the rain on his way home.

"Does it really matter what his motives are, Toko? He drafted me, that's that," Shouji explained, folding two of his arms together while another held up an umbrella over his head.

"He always had a motive for his actions when training me, so he's got a motive for picking the pair of us to join him on the internship," Tokoyami explained.

The rest of the day had gone fairly quickly, with Tokoyami and Shouji looking over the rest of their draft picks, before Shouji came to the ceremonious decision that to decline the one Hero who had gone out of his way to draft him via a request would be extremely disrespectful. Tokoyami had already been planning to choose his old teacher, should he have asked, on the basis of wanting to experience how Airdriver handled himself on the job, compared to his time sparring and training Fumikage in the forests behind his home.

However, Tokoyami could tell that something was up with the draft pick. Out of everyone Airdriver could have selected, he picked the one person that was closest to him in the class, more so than even Midoriya.

Could that just be mere coincidence? After the last month, he was hesitant to discard the possibility that fate was bringing them together once more.

Class 1-A itself was a testament to the fate bringing everyone he had met prior to joining U.A. together in one class. And this was giving him the exact same vibes.

"He taught you for years, right?" Shouji asked, attempting to change the subject from Airdriver's motives to his methods. "What was he like?"

Tokoyami snorted bitterly. "Strict, powerful, usually straight to the point." He couldn't help but remember their last proper talk together when Airdriver had told him upfront that he had no motivation. "Brutally honest."

"Sounds like a charming guy," Shouji muttered under his breath.

"He's an admirable Hero though," Tokoyami added quickly. "Without him, I'd probably not have learned to control Dark Shadow. He also is the sole reason I'm in U.A. thanks to the Rescue Points he gave me in the exa-" Tokoyami's breath caught in his throat. "The exam- oh of course!"

"What about it?" Shouji asked tentatively.

"He judged the exam, that explains it!" Tokoyami exclaimed, turning to face Shouji, still walking backwards, his shoes splashing in the puddles of rainwater as he went. "That's how he knows you!"

It took the taller of the two a few moments to realize what his companion was getting at, but a moment later a look of recognition flashed into Shouji's expression, his mask crinkling ever so slightly at the memory of their exam and the injuries they had both sustained. "You're saying he selected me because you saved me in the exam that one time?"

"Yep, that's the only link between the two of us that he'd be aware of, I think," Fumikage nodded.

"And this matters because...?" Shouji began. Clearly, he was getting very tired, very quickly, of Fumikage's conspiracy theories.

"Well, I haven't figured that part out yet, but I still stand by my statement that he's got a motive."

Shouji threw up his hands, letting the umbrella waver as some droplets of water fell onto his mask, in disbelief, letting out a large huff as he walked past Fumikage with an exasperated look in his eyes.

 **"So how are you going to tell the folks that we're off to Kyushu?"** A familiar voice deadpanned, Tokoyami jumping as Dark Shadow's wispy form began to curl itself around his shoulder.

"Have fun winning that battle," Shouji called from further ahead, letting out a hearty laugh.

Tokoyami groaned. He was not looking forward to that conversation.

* * *

The battle was long and hard from the moment he walked through his front door, Tokoyami showing off his list of internships in an attempt to start a conversation, before quietly bringing up the idea of working with Airdriver. At first, his mother had seemed quite alright with the suggestion, but then...

"Fukuoka, Kyushu!? But that's halfway across the country!?"

"I'll be fine!" Tokoyami squawked, folding his arms as he stared down his mother, who's maddened gaze was threatening to tear down his very reality, or in laymen's terms, was heavily against his choice.

"You can't guarantee that!" She fought back, though her argument was rather weak.

Tokoyami pointedly stared at her like she'd lied through her teeth. "I'm not sure what part of being with Airdriver, whom you and Dad know personally, and Shouji, who you and Dad also know personally, isn't safe." He knew he was being somewhat stand-offish himself, but he did get it from her.

"Fumikage, can you not reconsider with an agency closer to home?" She practically begged.

Tokoyami leaned back against the counter of the kitchen for a moment, silent, before stating rather calmly, "You know I can't do that. I know you're worried, I get that, but I'm growing up." He looked to his Father, who was sitting on the sofa with a cup of coffee in his hands. "I need to experience what it's like to be away from you guys, and I mean properly away, not thirty minutes down the street."

"But halfway across the country, what if something happens?" His mother asked.

"I'll be with people I can trust," He said again.

That was when his father piped up. "Honey, I think he'll be alright," His old man explained. "I doubt U.A. sends their students into internships where they could be in danger. Could you imagine what that could do to the school's image if a student was seriously hurt, or worse?"

 **"All expenses are covered by the school too, so it's nice and cheap,"** Dark Shadow added with a tantalizing grin.

Folding the towel that she was holding, Mrs Tokoyami let out a quiet breath she had been holding in, looking to the kitchen side, then back to her son before shaking her head silently. "You call us every evening and if anything serious happens, they are to send you straight back here as soon as they are able. And you tell Shouji and Airdriver to keep an eye on you, or else."

What he considered a grin crossed his beak as relief flooded through his body. "Thanks, Mother," He breathed out, giving her a small hug before retreating towards his bedroom.

He burst out into laughter the moment his door shut when he heard his Quirk state a rather matter-of-fact, **"That went easier than expected."**

* * *

The class must have looked so out of place in the rather crowded Musutafu Train Station as the hustle and bustle of daily life seemed to continue on around the Class 1-A. They had all been to the school beforehand to collect their costumes and were all chaperoned to the Train Station by Aizawa, who was as 'excited' as ever as he began going over the rules they had to follow during their Internships.

The week between their choices and this moment had gone by in a flash, Tokoyami dedicating his time towards his studies after a brief run in with Ectoplasm over his abysmal mathematics test results had left him without any other options. Pissing off Ectoplasm wasn't on his to-do list, so he hoped that his work over the week would be enough to tide him until after the internships.

Though with their semester finals coming up very soon after they returned, he had to admit the pressure of schoolwork was definitely weighing him down. Thank god for his internship.

"Remember, wearing your costumes in public is strictly prohibited, but don't drop them," Aizawa continued to drawl, Tokoyami mechanically nodding to his words. "All of you be on your best behaviour this week. You are representing U.A. as well as yourselves. Now get going."

Everyone quickly began to scramble away towards their destinations, though as he turned to look over at Shouji, he heard Aizawa call out, "Tokoyami, it is impolite to nod so mechanically. Listen to those at your Internship, would you."

He felt his face flush bright red from mortification, nodding more feverishly before glancing over at Shouji who was looking around at his train ticket, confused.

"Do you know which line we need to get on?" Tokoyami asked, peering at the ticket that Shouji was looking at.

"You both are headed to Kyushu right?" Kirishima grinned, giving the pair a wave. "It's the other way." He gestured towards the opposite side of the station, Tokoyami giving a quiet thanks to his classmate before glancing around at the rest of the class.

He spotted Midoriya and Uraraka a few paces away, who were both watching Iida walk off into the crowd.

"Midoriya," He called out, the boy glancing backwards, his rather worried expression forming into a smile that appeared on his face as he saw who was calling. "Good luck in your internship," Tokoyami called out once more, with a wave.

"You too Tsuku," Midoriya shouted back, his eyes glancing up at Tokoyami's companion. "And you as well Shouji! Keep in touch!" He called back, gesturing to the phone that he was holding in his hand.

Everyone had chosen to join a group text chat for the purposes of sharing their experiences with each other about their internship, so even though they'd be gone for a week, they'd certainly still be in touch. Such was the generation of technology they lived in, where their friends were a click away.

Midoriya continued to smile at them for a few more moments until Uraraka's arm rested on his shoulder, pulling the black-haired boy out of the slight daze he had apparently been in, much to his embarrassment, and he gave a final wave towards the pair while Uraraka just devilishly grinned at Midoriya.

"He'll be fine," Shouji muttered quietly to Tokoyami, the smaller boy glancing back at his friend with a questioning look on his face.

"I never said I was worried," He replied tersely.

Shouji didn't reply, instead letting out a small shrug. "Could have fooled me."

"Shouji?" Tokoyami asked, lowering his voice. The way Shouji had spoken, it felt a little tense for his liking. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Shouji replied almost mechanically, though the slight crinkle upwards in his mask put Tokoyami's heart at ease ever so slightly.

As they shuffled along the platform away from their class, he didn't notice Shouji look down at his palms with a sad expression, though Dark Shadow, who had quietly wrapped himself around Tokoyami's neck, noticed the taller boy's expressions with a vehement interest.

"So we're headed to Fukuoka," Tokoyami stated, breaking the silence as they walked away, while pulling out his own ticket. "I've never been there, have you?"

"Actually, I was born there," Shouji admitted sheepishly, Tokoyami's eyes widening at that information. How did he not know this? "Lived there for around seven years, then moved here for a better education."

"So it'll be like reliving your childhood memories?" Tokoyami asked curiously.

"Indeed. Though I imagine we'll be patrolling the streets as opposed to goofing off down memory lane," Shouji laughed. "We've got a job to do, remember."

 **"A whole week away with just us, it's going to be great,"** Dark Shadow hissed quietly, just loud enough for the pair to hear as he shifted himself to lounge on Fumikage's shoulder.

Tokoyami missed the knowing look that Dark Shadow sent towards Shouji, nor the playful wiggle of his eyes that caused Shouji's mask to crinkle ever so slightly into what could be described as a frown. Though Tokoyami had no way of knowing, Shouji's mind was on one thing - This week was going to be hell with Dark Shadow looming over him after their talk at the Sport's Festival the ten days prior.

"Another week with your comedic talent," Shouji groaned aloud. "How will I ever cope?"

 **"We can talk about feelings and braid each other's hair!"** Dark Shadow squealed mockingly.

"That sounds like the worst kind of torture imaginable," Tokoyami muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes at his Quirk's antics.

The back and forth with Dark Shadow continued until they finally managed to board their train, passing through many prying eyes as people began to recognize the pair from their stint at the Sport's Festival.

"That's the one with the shadow!" A boy called out in awe.

"And that's the one with lots of arms!" A girl giggled, pointing at Shouji with a massive smile on her face. "You were super strong mister!"

"And you were super cool!" Another young boy said, pointing at Fumikage.

Tokoyami couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at the attention, though he refused to show it, attempting to keep his mysterious and cool characteristics on show until they were somewhere less public. He had an image to protect, though Shouji's snickering at the boy's comment was extremely distracting.

They finally found a seat in one of the back compartments of the train, though Tokoyami was annoyed to see the more spacious window seats had been taken, and instead they were sitting in the seats that were more similar to what was found on a plane. He slipped into a row of seats and made for the window before Shouji could even say anything, sitting himself down as quickly as he could.

"You could have just asked for the window seat, you know," Shouji deadpanned, sitting down in the seat beside Tokoyami.

Fumikage didn't bother to reply, pulling his crossed arms closer to his chest, though the excitement in his eyes at being in a bullet train for the first time in his life seemed to quell everything else.

The first time being away from home and his first time in a bullet train. While he certainly wasn't going to act all childish and bounce up and down asking "Are we there yet" as Dark Shadow already had that covered, he couldn't help the slight trembling he was feeling at the fact that they were going somewhere new.

"You're actually really excited to be leaving for the week, huh," Shouji muttered, leaning back in his chair ever so slightly.

"It's my first time out of the city since... ever," Tokoyami gestured excitedly, clicking his beak.

"Hopefully this experience will be everything you want it to be then," Shouji shrugged.

The train set off a few minutes later and the two, three if you included Dark Shadow and his various interjections, students engaged in various bits of small talk for the first hour or so, the conversation drifting from their studies to their classmates, the sorts of situations they'd get involved with at the internship, the usual stuff.

Though after a while, Tokoyami took to just staring out the window, watching the scenery go by.

* * *

Shouji wasn't sure if this was a good idea or a horrible idea. Going on the same internship as Tokoyami was one thing, spending a week with his best friend who also happened to definitely be his crush, was another entirely. He really hadn't thought about it much though until Dark Shadow's comment at the train station, and it was then that his hell had started.

Sitting beside his friend in close quarters thanks to the seating of the bullet train, while watching Tokoyami excitedly stare at the various scenery they were passing through though, that was too much. The way Toko's eyes would light up at the next town, or the way he rested his chin on his hand, head tilted back ever so slightly, as he watched through the window...

It was making Shouji's heart flutter and he hated every second of it.

It didn't help that Dark Shadow, rather than enjoy the view of the window seat, had instead been watching Shouji's expression from the corner of his yellow eyes, not taking his eyes off of him for a second. That feeling of being watched, judged almost, certainly had the taller boy on edge, and he couldn't help but feel the sweat on his palms or the slight trembling of his lower arms.

So he was relieved when his mind was drawn to a couple chatting a few rows ahead of them, his heightened sense catching their conversation as it drifted back towards them. Normally he wasn't one to eavesdrop, but when he heard the words, "Robbery in Fukuoka," he couldn't ignore it.

"So you hear about that robbery in Fukuoka," A woman's voice said worryingly.

"Mhm, that's the third one this week," A man's voice replied. "You'd think the local Heroes would have caught the perp by now."

"Well, I heard that the Heroes have been trying to track down the culprit for a while now, but she keeps getting away."

The man's voice raised, "It's a she?"

"Mhm, the Crimson Shadow, they call her. Apparently, she can vanish into the dark and get away from her crimes without trouble. Only a few eye-witnesses and nobody can really identify her."

"That sounds intense. I'd feel bad for any Heroes on her trail."

Their voices drifted off after that, though Shouji had gotten all he wanted to know from the exchange, turning to his friend, who was still watching outside the window.

"Hey, Toko," He whispered, as if afraid that the couple a few rows down would overhear them.

Tokoyami glanced over at Shouji, hand resting on his chin wistfully.

If only Fumikage was aware of just how adorable he looked, Shouji wished nothing more than for his friend to stop looking so perfect. "I-I heard something about a thief in Fukuoka from the people ahead."

He actually stammered. God, this was going to be a week of pure torture.

"A thief?" Tokoyami parroted, an intrigued glint in his eyes.

"Y-Yeah," Shouji muttered, breaking their eye contact to stare at his hands for a moment, feeling his cheeks beginning to heat up from his thoughts. "Apparently she's called the Crimson Shadow and she's been on the run from the local Heroes."

This definitely caught Tokoyami's attention, removing his hand from his chin to sit up straight, looking at Shouji. "So we're going to Kyushu right as there's a string of robberies going on in the city we just so happen to be heading to?"

Shouji nodded the affirmative.

 **"We should totally catch that villain,"** Dark Shadow hissed excitedly. **"Catching your first villain together would be a perfect Hero date."**

"You are awful," Tokoyami deadpanned. "I'm sor-"

"I'm used to it Toko, you really don't need to apologize for Dark Shadow. It's not my fault he's thinking of his dream date with Midoriya."

Tokoyami almost choked on air, while Dark Shadow's mouth hung limply open from Shouji's implication before the Dark Quirk's eyes narrowed. **"Oh, that's how this is going to be then?"**

"Did I hit too close to home, Dark Shadow?" Shouji innocently asked.

 **"You didn't hit anything! I do NOT have a crush on Izuku,"** Dark Shadow growled defensively, though one blink later and the Quirk realized he'd let slip a mistake. **"I meant Midoriya!"**

Shouji folded his arms in triumph, Tokoyami looking between the two with varying shades of mortification and confusion, before settling on crossing his own arms and shutting his eyes silently. "You're unbelievable..."

"So how does that work anyway?" Shouji asked before Tokoyami could become a full recluse. "If Dark Shadow crushes on something, how does that work for you?"

Tokoyami cracked open his eyes a pinch to stare at Shouji with full on confusion at this line of questioning, before glancing at his Quirk who shrugged his shoulders. **"Yeah, how does that work if I had a hypothetical crush on Midoriya?"**

"How am I supposed to know?" Tokoyami grumbled. "Why do you want to know anyway?" He questioned, tilting his head towards Shouji, who's whole body froze at his friend's gaze once more.

What was he supposed to say? Be honest, lie, tell Tokoyami about his feelings, whatever they were?

 **"Clearly as your best friend, he's got your best interests at heart and wants to know who you're dating because he cares,"** Dark Shadow squawked with laughter.

"Midoriya and I are **not** dating!" Tokoyami snapped.

There was a tense silence as Tokoyami turned away to glance back out the window, Shouji beginning to feel bad about the whole situation. But how could he fix it...?

"Midoriya does seem..." Shouji began quietly. "Y'know, interested..."

Tokoyami didn't reply, the conversation dying off at that as the pair settled back into their seats for some peace and quiet for the rest of the trip. Though honestly neither boy was focused on the journey.

Shouji had basically told Tokoyami that he should try and court Midoriya if he got the chance because it was clear that there was something there, while the other part of him was screaming at Dark Shadow's antics and clear attempt to rat his own feelings out to his owner. Honestly, he was hoping they would get to Fukuoka quick.

Little did he know that Tokoyami was in his own mental turmoil, Dark Shadow laughing his head off at the conversation in their mind.

 **"Can you just admit you've got a crush on Midoriya since we like the same things?"** Dark Shadow was whispering, while Tokoyami was quietly replying with various death threats towards his Quirk that would make any normal person's blood run cold. And it didn't help that Shouji was apparently trying to endorse the whole Midoriya relationship goal, which was causing the raven-headed boy irritation even though he couldn't put his finger on why.

Little did Shouji realize that Tokoyami was thinking the exact same thing - This was going to be a long week.

* * *

 **Pure fluff and a little bit of world building. This is going to be a very stressful week in terms of the "friendship/romance" aspect of the characters, as you have to remember, they're 15 years old and probably going through the worst of puberty already. Hormones and all that jazz, the awkwardness is unavoidable, especially since Shouji has a very clear crush and Tokoyami is in serious denial still.**

 **I am excited to be bringing back Airdriver's character though, I really wanted to flesh out this Hero OC of mine, so hopefully, this is my chance! And of course, the Crimson Shadow, a thief in Fukuoka. This should be fun!**

 **Comments and reviews are welcome, in fact I really welcome them!**


	49. Long Awaited Reunion! Airdriver Agency!

**Chapter 49 - Long Awaited Reunion! Airdriver Agency!**

The rest of the train journey was silent, to say the least. After their rather heated conversation, Shouji had gratefully dropped the whole subject of romance, instead folding his arms to stare ahead at the train compartment in silence. Tokoyami, meanwhile, had taken to staring out of the window as he already had been, but instead of looking back to point things out to his friend, he'd stay still, unmoving as he watched mountains, forests, towns and cities going by.

It was only as the train began to snake it's way along the coastline that the tension between the pair started to deflate. Shouji had tried hard to avoid eye contact or even the general direction of Tokoyami, but the moment the sparkling clear ocean appeared in his peripheral, he couldn't help but look out the window in wonder at the sight.

"We should be there soon," Tokoyami finally muttered, quietly breaking the silence between the pair as he glanced at his friend with curious eyes. "You nervous?" Shouji looked confused at that, cocking his head to the side ever so slightly, a brow raised as Tokoyami specified, "I meant with being back in Fukuoka after all this time."

"Not really... It's not like I have too many memories of the city. It's probably changed so much in the eight years I've been gone," Shouji explained with a shrug. "It'll be a miracle if I recognize anything."

"I guess that's a fair point." Tokoyami turned back to the window, taking in the vista once more as they travelled. "I know we've got a beach in Musutafu, but it's got nothing on this place."

"You're not going to talk about how fair the radiant water is or something poetic like that?" Shouji chuckled, getting a small smile out of the smaller Hero.

Tokoyami leaned back into his chair in thought, before muttering, "While I do prefer the darkness, this light _is_ radiant and makes the ocean sparkle like a shooting star. Is that poetic enough for you?"

Shouji shrugged. "I prefer Haiku."

 **"Quick and straight to the point, just like you,"** Dark Shadow grumbled from his spot between the pair, Shouji bringing a hand to his mask with a mocking gasp of shock.

Tokoyami couldn't help the roll of his eyes at that, tapping Dark Shadow on the head just sharply enough to let his Quirk know that he was being out of order.

It was then that they heard the intercom of the train switch on and the sound of a woman say, "We shall be arriving shortly at Fukuoka station. We hope you have a safe journey." The intercom crackled into silence, but at those words that small bit of excitement began to worm it's way back into his head.

They had spent the entire morning and the first few hours of the afternoon on the train and there was no doubt that both of them wanted to stretch their legs and get things started. They _were_ students of U.A. after all, and he knew that Shouji preferred to keep as active as possible so getting off the train was definitely in their best interests.

Plus he'd be getting to see his old tutor for the first time in just over two months. Had his teacher changed at all? And how was he faring here in Fukuoka after his most recent transfer of his agency to this sector?

"You nervous?" Shouji asked, mimicking Tokoyami's earlier question. "To meet your teacher after all this time?"

Fumikage put a hand to his beak in thought, as if mulling it over. Was he nervous to see Airdriver?

Truth be told, Fumikage hadn't put much thought into what he'd even say when he saw his teacher again. Last his teacher had seen him, Tokoyami was told that he lacked conviction and that he wasn't relying on his Quirk out of some misplaced fear. He definitely remembered his teacher saying, 'You lack the conviction in yourself to really push your boundaries.'

Though it occurred to Tokoyami that in those two months, he'd found himself.

While he had a rough start with the USJ business and that shaky foundation between Dark Shadow and himself, by the end of the Sport's Festival, Tokoyami had learned to push his own boundaries and Dark Shadow's boundaries as well with the Quick technique Aizawa had taught him. But more than that... He had found a motivation.

He remembered that feeling of excitement when watching Midoriya spar with Todoroki, that sheer awe as his close friend was able to save Todoroki from himself and bring about the biggest change in the boy's attitude since they'd met. Midoriya had inspired him in a way that no other Hero had come close to, inspired him to help those in need, regardless of whether they want to be saved, because if somebody needed to be saved, then it was his job to save them.

Taking a deep breath, he replied, "No, I'm apprehensive. I've changed and I want him to see that."

"You really have grown, Toko," Shouji whispered quietly.

A few minutes later, they felt the train slowing down as it pulled in to the Fukuoka station, the pair quickly grabbing their belongings and heading for the exit door. They had been told prior to the internship that Airdriver would be meeting them just outside the main station, away from the majority of the hustle and bustle.

So with their costumes and belongings in hand, the pair stepped out into the bright sunny May day, Tokoyami having to shield his eyes for a brief moment as they adjusted to the natural sunlight.

"It's so hot here," He muttered, Dark Shadow shrinking into Tokoyami's body as the rays touched him. "Should keep him quiet for a little while, at least."

"Sweet merciful silence," Shouji praised as they started making their way down the platform.

The Fukuoka station was busy as the mid-day rush hit, the two students winding their way through the crowds as quickly as they could. Though Tokoyami noted that despite the city being the capital of its prefecture, it wasn't as busy as Musutafu and while they initially struggled to make any headway, the pair finally managed to spot the exit to the station.

Walking out onto the streets, outside of the Hakata Station building, they quickly moved to an underpass that was shaded from the sun and glanced around. Well, Tokoyami glanced around, seeing as he was the person most likely to spot his old teacher amongst the crowd.

"I think I've found him," He heard Shouji state calmly, the taller boy pointing with his hands towards the east side of the underpass.

And Tokoyami couldn't help but wonder how he hadn't noticed that large crowd of people that was slowly making its way towards them.

That's when he noticed the figure in the centre of the group.

Within the centre of the crowd of people was a tall dark haired muscular man with a neatly trimmed goatee and a tanned skin tone. He was wearing a silvery grey mask around his eyes, which were a piercing blue. A cape hung, billowing in the wind, made of the same fabric as the face mask, looking extremely fashionable. He was wearing a cargo jacket that was mainly a dark grey colour, with three dark black lines wrapping around the jacket at the belt, waist and chest area. It gave the jacket a very striking design.

The cargo theme seemed to continue with the man wearing a pair of cargo jeans with the exact same pattern as the jacket. Though Tokoyami's eyes were instantly drawn to his arms, where he could see wrapped around the jacket sleeves, were twin mechanical gauntlets. They were a striking metallic silver and as the man noticed them, lifting a hand to wave, Tokoyami could see that they had been redesigned since he'd last seen them, as there were large holes in the centre of the palm of the gauntlets, like a glove, that allowed Quirk usage. A slight glint caught his eyes from further down, noticing that not only was Airdriver wearing metallic gauntlets but metallic exoskeleton boots that seemed to run on the same technology.

"He's had a rebranding," Tokoyami muttered to himself, Shouji raising a brow at him before the pair quickly made their way across the underpass towards the man and the crowd.

Airdriver, ever the professional, stopped to take a few photos with the crowd, much to Tokoyami's ire, before the man quickly excused himself from the group. With another wave, he beckoned them over, his face suddenly becoming unreadable as his lips pursed into a straight line.

For a moment, Tokoyami's mind snapped back to those days when Airdriver was his tutor. He usually acted like this when he was trying to be intimidating, or if Tokoyami had done something wrong. They hadn't done anything wrong, had they?

Though his worries died down a moment later as the muscular man's serious face broke, his lips curling upwards ever so slightly into a familiar smile. "It's been too long, Fumikage, though you go by Tsukuyomi now, yes?"

"It's good to see you again, teache- I mean, Airdriver," Tokoyami stammered, caught off guard by the Hero's sudden change of mood. "I'll have to get used to that," He chuckled.

"And I mustn't forget you, Mezou Shouji, though you go by Tentacole right?"

"Y-Yes, it's an honour to finally meet you. Toko mentions you a lot," Shouji nodded, eyes glancing towards Tokoyami hesitantly, like he wasn't sure what he was meant to be doing.

Airdriver's brow raised through his eye mask and Tokoyami almost wanted to die when he saw the smirk appear on his teacher's face. Since when did Airdriver gain a sense of humour? The whole time he'd been taught, the guy was all severity and no laughs. He had to admit, it was off-putting.

 **"You have a style change?"** The familiar rambunctious voice of Dark Shadow asked, his yellow eyes glinting as he formed on Tokoyami's shoulder in his regular spot.

"Dark Shadow?" Airdriver stated, a tinge of surprise in his voice as he looked the Quirk up and down. "You look well."

 **"Given this sap lets me talk with people now, I'd say I'm doing great,"** Dark Shadow shrugged, poking at Tokoyami's feathered cheek, much to the boy's displeasure.

"While I would _love_ to continue discussing your wellbeing Dark Shadow, I'm afraid we have places to be. We need to head straight to the Agency where I'm sure you'll have many questions. For now, enjoy the sites and take it all in. You're in a new environment after all." That last part sounded a bit more like his old teacher, but this was probably the first time Tokoyami had seen Airdriver so upbeat.

Tokoyami felt very out of place as he walked along the streets of Fukuoka behind Shouji and Airdriver, the former being his usual silent stoic contemplative self, while the latter was saying hello to everyone who greeted him, being friendly and just... Not being the teacher he remembered. He knew that being on the job would be different, but this.

Fumikage kept to himself, despite the whisperings of people who seemed to recognize the two students, only relenting to say hello to anyone who actually approached him, which thankfully was not a lot of people.

Shouji was in a whole world of his own as they walked through the streets of Fukuoka, and it only occurred to Tokoyami as they were approaching the Hero Agency that perhaps his friend was just lost in his old memories, or trying to spot something of the city that he had come to grow up in.

The Airdriver Hero Agency was smack in the centre of the city. It was located within a large office block that overlooked many of the city's major landmarks, it's glass windows and towering height seeming like a perfect fit for Airdriver, who's Quirk was based around the air itself.

"My Agency is on the top floor," He explained, leading them through a large lobby where a receptionist was directing customers to the various floors. The building seemed to house many different businesses, with Airdriver being just one of many within the towering structure. "Given my Quirk works with the air and wind currents, having access to the roof is extremely important for my work, as I can use these," He stated, clipping his exoskeleton boots together as they stepped into an open elevator, "To soar through the city skies."

"So you can fly anywhere in the city using your Quirk?" Shouji asked incredulously, glancing down at the boots with an astonished stare.

"The world is full of Quirks, Tentacole, chances are if you can think about it, there's a Quirk for it," Airdriver reasoned, his eyes resting on Tokoyami for a moment before staring forwards at the now-closed elevator doors. "When I'm done showing you the office, you'll need to get changed into your costumes."

"So soon?" Tokoyami raised a brow. "Not to be disrespectful, of course."

Airdriver let out a light hum before replying, "I've known you long enough Fumikage to know you meant no ill-will. But the world of Heroes waits for nobody and I've got to show you the ropes."

 _'And I've known you long enough Airdriver, to know you're hiding something from us,'_ He thought to himself, Dark Shadow rumbling in agreement. The way the man was acting so casual, it was almost too much so, it just didn't feel like the man he had come to know over his training.

"Ah, we're here," The Pro Hero stated, beckoning the pair forwards as the elevator door opened, though they weren't expecting what they were about to see.

A Hero's Agency is often decorated to reflect the Hero who works there. Tokoyami had to admit, hearing his teacher worked in an office building, he was expecting desks and an office space. He wasn't expecting a large pent-house sized floor at all. Laminated wooden floors, dark red brick walls and large steel beams were the main structural draw of the place.

The furniture consisted of various desks that contained trinkets and machines, all looking very technological and Tokoyami had to admit it was all flying over his head, though it looked impressive. Behind the tech tables, he could see a large door with a plaque that read - "Noboru Hayate - Airdriver" - That was the Pro Hero's office.

To the left of the door was another room that looked like a massive common room, complete with a working office kitchen, lushly padded sofas like the ones they had seen in the U.A. staff room, while to the right of them, sat another person behind a desk, a young woman with bright burning ginger hair that flowed to her shoulders. She wore a green army jacket, a bright brown fur scarf and a large headset with a microphone attached. There was a light grey backpack sitting next to her with various gadgets sticking out of the pack.

But it was her big square rimmed glasses that drew Tokoyami's attention, her light brown eyes looking up from whatever she was working on at the computer screen next to her, a smile appearing on her face as she called, "Oh, you're back!"

Airdriver walked over to the girl at the desk, who looked to be in her early twenties, motioning for the two boys to follow. Tokoyami wasn't exactly sure what to expect, he hadn't heard of Airdriver having a sidekick, but he did run an Agency so he guessed it made sense.

"I'd like you both to meet my second-in-command, Benzaiten," Though she waved off his words with a roll of her eyes.

"He means I'm his sidekick. You can call me Beni for short," She explained, pushing the glasses up to the bridge of her nose.

"Your Hero name is mythological in nature as well?" Tokoyami asked curiously, interest clearly piqued.

Her eyes lit up as he brought the connection up, nodding feverishly, "I always wanted to bring honour to the name of a Goddess, and Benzaiten was a goddess of everything that flows, though I'm sure you already know that."

"Funnily enough, Beni here keeps my Agency flowing," Airdriver explained eloquently, the woman bashfully laughing off his compliments as she quickly typed a few words into her keyboard. "Her Quirk isn't practical in the traditional sense, though I imagine she would rather explain it herself."

The two boys looked at the girl, whose smile never left her face as she continued to chat. "So I have a Quirk that works in tandem with my photographic memory to come up with new gadgets for Hayate to use. I'm able to visualize blueprints for devices in my mind. Then, my Quirk allows me to actually create the items in my blueprints, as long as I have the parts, without the need of tools."

"She was the top of her class in the Support Course back in the day," Airdriver laughed. "You can imagine why. She practically had the perfect Quirk that allowed her to create gadgets without needing to use the tools."

"It has it's limits though," She explained. "If I don't have all the components, and if I haven't got the blueprints of my invention myself, I can't create anything. Your class has the girl with the creation Quirk right?"

Tokoyami blinked in surprise, realizing he was being addressed. "Yes, Yaoyorozu has a creation Quirk that allows her to create items through her body fat," He explained with a slight stammer.

"Well, while she's able to technically create something as long as she _knows_ the make-up of the molecules of the items, I actually need the physical components for my Quirk to take effect." Clicking away at the keyboard with a few more swipes, she looked the pair over before settling on Fumikage, her eyes widening. "So you're Hayate's pupil, he's told me a lot abo-"

"That's quite enough Beni," Airdriver loudly interrupted, the girl giving the Pro a devious grin that the two boys found very similar to the one that Uraraka and Mina were known to sport. "Lots to do, patrols to go on, I have to get these boys ready for the great wide world."

"It was nice meeting you," Shouji and Tokoyami both bowed, the girl giving them a small wave and a smile as they turned to head towards the common room.

"Oh, and Tsukuyomi, we have got to talk about Japanese Mythology while you're here," She called out, Tokoyami giving her an affirmative before they were escorted into the common room.

There was another room that seemed to lead off to the left, from the common room, which judging by the sign, seemed to be the Agency's washroom.

"She's wonderful, really, but she sometimes doesn't know when to stop talking," Airdriver laughed, Tokoyami now watching him with a knowing look. Just what stories had he been telling Beni about their time together? He really wanted to know.

Airdriver walked over to one of the sofas, taking a seat, while gesturing for the other two to also take a seat opposite him. He pulled out some bottles of water, tossing a pair of water bottles to the two students, who gratefully accepted the drink with a quiet thanks. For a few minutes, nobody spoke, the drinking of the water being enough to stave off the heat of the late-spring day.

But finally, the silence was broken as Airdriver looked across at the pair before stating, "Alright, this week is about showing the pair of you what it is like to be a Hero in the modern age. It's not just beat the villain and get the glory. There's a lot that goes in to solving a case and being a Hero. Fumikage, you may not have been aware of this, but I had a deal with your folks to give you an offer should you reach this point in your studies. Consider this your final exam," He explained carefully, his voice levelling out into a firm, yet friendly tone.

"What about me?" Shouji asked timidly. Tokoyami had to feel for his friend, Shouji had definitely been getting the short end of the stick from what he could tell, as far as noticeability went.

"Well, I picked you, Shouji, as I felt your Quirk had more potential than you got to show at the Sport's Festival. I saw your Quirk in action during the Entrance Exams and I feel that, as a surveillance-based Hero, I could teach you a great deal about using your Quirk in such a way." His eyes glanced between the two of them, a small grin forming on his masked face. "Though really, you could learn a great deal from each other. Fumikage, you clearly have excelled since we last spoke, but just watching you walk through the streets earlier made me realize that you have zero people skills."

"Excuse me?" Tokoyami spluttered.

Airdriver waved off his surprise with a flourished gesture, "I blame your parents. They kept you cooped up for too long, you're just a bit behind in your development. You're still far too serious and definitely too unapproachable to the average citizen. You need to have a fun side to stay popular in today's day and age."

"With all due respect, you never taught me that in our lessons," Tokoyami replied tersely.

"Of course I didn't," Airdriver shrugged. "I was told to teach you how to control your Quirk and how to fight, I wasn't hired to counsel you about social etiquette."

That shut Tokoyami's beak up completely.

 **"You just got owned by Teach,"** Dark Shadow squawked from Tokoyami's shoulder.

"Please, call me Hayate. When out on the streets though, Airdriver is fine," Hayate explained. "That offer extends to you as well Shouji."

"Ah, of course, Hayate," Shouji nodded.

"Anyway, as for you Shouji. You lack self-confidence. I saw that in your Sport's Festival performance. You have this wonderful Quirk and you often have great ideas and plans, yet your execution is sloppy as you have many self-doubts. I imagine your loss at the Festival hasn't helped in this regard. Meanwhile, Fumikage has the self-confidence to be sure, but lacks the approachable and down-to-earth nature that you, Shouji, are imbued with."

Shouji nodded silently. "Y-You are correct," He admitted silently, his arms crossing ever slightly closer to his chest.

"If I may be so bold as to ask, is there a story to the mask you wear?" The Pro Hero suddenly asked, the two boys freezing up at his question. Tokoyami glanced up to Shouji, who seemed genuinely surprised and... almost fearful, of the question. But it seemed Hayate realized quite quickly that he had touched upon a sore spot, "It seems I may have delved a little deeply there, my apologies. Though if your mask is tied towards a desire to, well, hide your face, that could have an effect on your self-confidence. I won't ask again, but you should give my theory some thought."

"Thank you for respecting my wishes," Shouji muttered quietly with a nod, Tokoyami feeling a pang of sadness for his friend.

He still didn't know what was with the mask, but if it was so bad that even Airdriver couldn't get it out of him, it had to be a serious story.

"Well then, I've explained my choices, I suggest you both go and get changed. It's time to go on patrol."

* * *

 **I had far too much fun writing this chapter. Airdriver got so little screentime over his two very minor appearances in the first few chapters of the fic, mainly because at the time I didn't actually plan on bringing him back, so getting to really flesh out my OC Pro Hero is great fun. Beni is also a character I'm excited to write about. Just so you're all on the same page, here are their Quirks.**

 **Airdriver - Quirk: Wind Manipulation - He has the power to manipulate the wind and air around him. Using the fans in his gauntlets and boots, he is able to create gusts of wind that he can manipulate at will to soar to his destinations. His wind is most famously used as a weapon, having the power to slice through the air like a knife. He can be a dangerous foe, though if there is no wind and his gauntlets malfunction, his Quirk would be rendered inaffective. He also has a limit to the strain the force of exerting wind pressure puts on his body.**

 **Benzaiten - Quirk: Material Creation - She has the power to create gadgets and objects of any design, as long as she has a blueprint of the work and the required materials in front of her, bypassing the need for tools and other items. She is limited by the fact that she needs knowledge on an item's inner workings and the required components to access her abilities. When active, her Quirk is said to make the materials flow together into what she wants them to be.**


	50. Tense Memories! Research & Realizations!

**Chapter 50 - Tense Memories!? Research and Realizations!?**

Their first day of patrolling was a fairly standard routine. Once the pair had changed into their costumes, Airdriver motioned for them to join him by a rather large map of Fukuoka that was pinned up on the common room wall. Tracing a route for the group to patrol, the Pro Hero explained that he tried to change up his patrol routes each day to avoid becoming predictable.

If a Villain or an enemy were able to figure out a Hero's movements based solely on their patrol path, it would make committing crimes a much easier offence and would leave the Heroes at a disadvantage. So with the pair's help, they traced out a patrol route that would take them around the city centre, cutting through Ohori Park to loop back around to the agency, and to their hotel.

"Of course, patrolling is an important aspect of a Pro Hero's workload, being able to get a handle on the place they work by scoping out the streets, but it also allows Heroes a chance to increase their public image." Airdriver pulled out a folder from a nearby shelf, opening it to show various newspaper and magazine articles that had been taped in like a scrapbook.

"Are these all about you?" Tokoyami asked incredulously.

"Indeed. Publicity is the most vital skill in a Pro Hero's arsenal when navigating the dangerous field of popularity in the media. Ignore the media and you'll find nobody will want to hire your Agency. Get too vocal and you won't have a moment of privacy," Airdriver explained. "Interacting with fans is important, as you can build a trust with your local neighbourhood, creating a sense of familiarity."

The two students were able to see this in action when their patrol began, Airdriver being stopped at various points on their walk by residents of the city who wanted to give him their thanks. One old woman running a market stall even kindly gave the group some apples to munch on in thanks, giving the two boys a wide smile in the process.

And Tokoyami had to admit, the apples were _really_ good!

Ohori Park was a serene spectacle, a park that was surrounded by a large lake, with small islands that crossed from one side of the city to the other. It was the closest landmark to the Agency and Airdriver had explained that while they were here to patrol, he still wanted to create a memorable experience and getting the chance to do some sight-seeing would help them to relax and feel more comfortable in the new environment.

Basically, he was taking them on a tourist route to try and make Tokoyami less wound up. And Fumikage was very much aware of the dual motive.

"I remember coming here as a child," Shouji explained, looking out onto the vast open lake from the grass on the shoreline. "I would always see how quickly I could travel from one end of the park to the other."

 **"Even as a kid, exercise was on the brain,"** Dark Shadow laughed, latching on to Tokoyami's shoulder as he poked up from underneath his cloak. **"The complete opposite of Fumika-"**

"I said I'd go to the gym full-time after the internships," Tokoyami moaned aloud, eliciting a snort of disbelief from Shouji.

"Tsukuyomi, Tentacole, some of the citizens here would like to meet you," They heard Airdriver call from a few meters away, the Pro Hero currently engaging in a group photo with a family of three.

They continued their way down the park, making it to the largest of the islands in quick time, the tourists having multiplied as they realized this was probably the biggest hotspot for tourism in the area. Airdriver told them to keep an eye out for any activity as with large groups of people, you could never be too careful, but as they walked along the quaint pathways, it was clear that nothing sinister was lurking around the vicinity.

Though as they were almost wrapped up and ready to head back towards the mainland of the city, Tokoyami's gaze rested on a large statue that sat out by the lakeside. It was facing out towards the lake so he couldn't initially make out the figure, though the various tourists looking up at it certainly had his interests piqued.

Tokoyami curiously strolled over to the large statue, his eyes lighting up as a flash of recognition crossed his mind as he saw the statue head on.

"Shouji," He called out softly, his tone eliciting a quiet surprise.

"What is it?" Shouji asked, walking up behind him, though as the taller boy glanced up at the statue as well, his eyes widened ever so slightly. "Wait, is that-?"

"The Raven," Tokoyami stated, glancing up at the Heroic Statue before them. Neither of them had seen that face or figure in over a week, not since Tokoyami had studied Midoriya's notes at the Sport's Festival, but the unmistakable face of the Pro Hero - The Raven, was staring off into the lake, forever remembered in the chiselled stone that his likeness was carved into. Underneath the statue sat a golden plaque, which he quickly approached.

It was written in shining faded words, **"Here lies the memorial for the Pro Hero - The Raven. His sacrifice saved the lives of the innocent and his bravery shall be remembered for eternity."**

"You know, he was a good friend of mine," Airdriver stated, stepping up to the statue beside them.

That caught Tokoyami's attention, the raven-headed boy turning towards his old mentor in surprise. Through the many years they had known each other, he hadn't ever heard anything about his teacher's private life or his past. So this...

"We went to school together, fought many battles together... He and his wife were powerful Heroes..." The man's voice trailed off into a melancholic silence, Airdriver watching the statue attentively with sombre eyes.

The two students were silent, Fumikage trying to find the words to say to his old teacher, yet nothing seemed to feel right. Though Airdriver seemed like he wanted to say more, instead they found a question directed at them, "How do you know about him?"

"My friend Midoriya," Tokoyami stated. "You might know him as the one who faced Todoroki in the Sport's Festival."

"The foolish one who broke his arms," Airdriver stated, an icy coldness in his tone that caused Tokoyami to freeze up.

"Midoriya is probably the most compassionate member of our Class," Shouji defended, hands on his hips. "Sure, his actions in the Sport's Festival were extreme, but he had a reason to go as far as he did. He was saving Todorok-"

Airdriver though, raised a hand to silence him, a stern expression crossing his weathered face. "That recklessness, in the world of professional heroes, could cost him his life."

Tokoyami couldn't help but wince at the thought. They all knew that Midoriya was extreme and that his methods were sometimes far riskier than they had any right to be, but hearing Airdriver state it so callously, that Midoriya could be killed in an instant, that any of them really could be taken out under the wrong circumstances, it sent a chill down his spine.

"So you say he knew about The Raven?" Airdriver asked once more, voice deadly serious.

Fumikage nodded, his beak curling ever so slightly at the sudden shift in atmosphere. "He was in Midoriya's notes on me, due to our similar mutations. Just a research point, that's all."

Airdriver was silent after that, a neutral expression painted across his face as his gaze shifted from the two students to the statue of the fallen Hero, then back to Tokoyami, who at this point was glancing back to Shouji in confusion. "The Raven was a compassionate man. He was always looking for the best in people, even those who were considered villains. His..." Airdriver's voice tapered off, his hands balling into silent fists, though his expression was as stoic as ever. "...His compassion was what got him killed."

Nobody said anything, those last words sinking in, the implication behind Airdriver's statement very clear. Midoriya's way of thinking, that recklessness, was a liability in certain situations, and Tokoyami had chosen to follow Midoriya down that more reckless path of heroism. There was disapproval there.

The rest of the patrol was spent in silence.

* * *

The pair were booked into a hotel across from the Agency. A one bedroom suite with two separate beds, a bathroom and just down the road, a small supermarket for provisions, or as Beni has subtly hinted as she checked them in while Airdriver was at a meeting, snack runs. She gave them both a smile as they were left to settle into their rooms, having changed out of their Hero costumes earlier in the day.

"I call first shower," Shouji had stated instantly as they stepped into the room. "No way am I showering with all your feathers everywhere."

Tokoyami rolled his eyes, too tired to argue from the constant travelling they'd been doing all day. From the train journey, the walk to the agency, the patrol route and the tension that was definitely settling between the two students and their Pro Hero, it was certainly a stressful start to their internship.

 **"I don't like Hayate..."** Dark Shadow sulked as Tokoyami flopped onto his chosen bed.

"The way he spoke about Midoriya certainly had me riled up, as well," Tokoyami scowled.

"While I don't agree with his attitude, he lost a friend to carelessness," Shouji muttered from his bed, where he was currently grabbing his shower supplies. "Perhaps he's just not over The Raven just yet. It doesn't help that you do look like him somewhat."

Tokoyami tilted his head to look at his friend, "That doesn't mean he can impress those emotions onto me though." For that was for sure what Airdriver had been doing, warning and baiting Tokoyami into not choosing that path for his career. But the days when Airdriver's word was law were long gone and he knew after his time at U.A. that it was his job to choose his own path and overcome his own hurdles.

 **"I wonder what happened to The Raven?"** Dark Shadow absentmindedly muttered to himself, Tokoyami glancing at his Quirk curiously.

"Well, I'm going to shower, if you figure something out, fill me in after," Shouji shrugged, grabbing a towel and some cleaning supplies, slipping into the hotel room.

As Tokoyami leaned back on his bed, he glanced at his phone for a moment, before deciding to do a bit of research. He tapped in The Raven and pressed search in his phone's search engine. None of the stuff was particularly interesting, just the usual heroic stuff. Saving a citizen, helping the community, going to charity events. It seemed that even back in his glory days, Airdriver's generation was working hard to be recognized.

Though his eyes were drawn to a picture of The Raven in formalwear, standing next to a woman of similar age, who was wearing a bright white dress with red highlights. Her hair was a dark curly black, falling down to her shoulders, while her face was young and youthful. Her eyes though, they were bright red and piercing. It only took him a moment to realize that this woman was The Raven's wife, the one who, a year after his death, would go missing after losing her child.

"They seem so happy," He muttered to himself.

 **"What about that article there?"** Dark Shadow butted in, pointing his dark shadow-claws at an article near the bottom of the page, underneath all the photos.

Clicking it, Tokoyami was greeted with a major headline - **City in turmoil as local Hero is killed in action, another hospitalized!**

Apparently, a villain had attacked Ohori Park and had started firing at tourists with specialized bullets that were known to pierce through steel. The culprit's Quirk was able to create these shots and had used them to subdue the Heroes. "According to key-witnesses," He muttered silently, "The Raven had attempted to talk the culprit down, however when he got close, he was shot through the chest at close range. There was nothing anyone could do from the range of the shot." He explained this all in his own words to Dark Shadow, who blinked a few times while he processed the details.

 **"Looks like the hospitalized Hero is someone we know,"** Dark Shadow pointed out, Tokoyami looking back at the article to see a rather horrifying image of the Pro Hero - Airdriver - in a hospitalized care. IV tubes, surgeons, it was a lot to handle. **"Maybe this is why Teach relocated away from Fukuoka..."**

"The culprit who committed the crime, an American tourist by the name of Damien Rogers, was sentenced to life imprisonment for manslaughter and will be kept in Fukuoka Penitentiary for the rest of his days." Tokoyami grimaced as he saw the picture of this guy, a smug arrogant looking man with a smarmy smile. It made him sick.

Though that sickness turned into something very different when he heard the bathroom door open and Shouji call out, "I think I left my clothes out here."

Tokoyami was not prepared for the site that was Shouji in nothing but a towel that was wrapped around his waist. The glistening water that was dripping off of his body was one thing, the fact he was still wearing his face mask was another, but more than anything it only just hit the poor raven-headed boy that he was spending a week with another guy in such close proximity.

He could already feel Dark Shadow's taunt coming, only this time he couldn't stammer or stop his Quirk, too enthralled by the sudden appearance of, and he quoted, sexy Shouji.

 _ **"I heard that thought."**_

 _"Oh, buzz off,"_ Tokoyami thought with a groan, finally managing to avert his eyes while Shouji just looked at him with a confused stare.

"You alright Toko?"

 _"I'll be more alright if you put some clothes on,"_ was what he wanted to say, but instead he just nodded like an idiot and tried to turn his attention back to his phone.

Had he looked more carefully, he may have seen the heated blush on Shouji's cheeks that had blended in with the heat from the shower.

 _ **"I thought you didn't like Shouji? I mean, I know you like Midoriya, but Shouji as well. Isn't that a bit greedy Fumika-"**_

 _"Please just stop talking. I really do not want to think about this right now,"_ Fumikage thought, mortified.

 _ **"Just admit it. You've got a crush on Shouji, haven't you? Or are you afraid that you can't like Shouji because you like Midoriya?"**_

 _"Why does it always have to be about those two, huh? Maybe there's a girl I like!"_

 ** _"Is there?"_**

Tokoyami paused. _"N-no..."_

 ** _"You're hopeless."_**

Shouji returned a moment later, now wearing actual clothing, much to Tokoyami's relief. "Dark Shadow taunting you or something?" He asked, Tokoyami sharply turning to his friend in surprise. "Your face..." Shouji explained. "You still do that thing where you make expressions with your face when 'think talking' with Dark Shadow."

"Oh..." Was Tokoyami's only reply. "Yeah, he was saying some stupid stuff, that's all."

Shouji shrugged, settling down on his own bed. "Like what?"

"P-Pardon?"

Shouji raised a brow. "Like what? What was he saying?"

"N-nothing important, it's- I'm gonna go shower, yeah," Tokoyami stammered, suddenly losing the power to speak. Before Shouji could question him further, he fled into the bathroom and locked the door, letting out a sigh of frustration as he could hear his Quirk laughing his ass off.

He was training to be a Hero, not to deal with high school crushes. He didn't have time for all of this, for those thoughts.

* * *

The moon was high up in the sky, the stars glimmering silently on the outskirts of Fukuoka. The local Penitentiary stood, a dark concrete building filled with inmates who had caused significant crimes over the years, all sentenced to remain in the prison for their sentences. Guards were watching the area surrounding the place with their searchlights and patrols were active around the whole prison, so for someone to break out or break in would be impossible, or so they thought.

For deep in the prison, in one of the darkest cells, a man who looked to be in his forties, was resting in his dingy bed, when the sound of footsteps filled the corridor outside.

"Finally, some food," The man muttered to himself, a twang of an American accent coming through, as he stood up to look at the door flap where his food was usually delivered.

So when, in a sudden burst of smoke, the metallic door flew off of its hinges, a mass of dark tendrils slamming it into the wall behind the man, there was understandably a lot of confusion and a lot of fear running through the man's head.

"What the fuck?" He stammered, stepping back as the large hole that was now his cell doorway cleared of smoke and rubble.

And through the entry point, a figure stepped through, hard to see in the darkness of the cell.

But that voice... "Hello Damien," A lasciviously dangerous female voice stated.

"Oh fuck, it's you," Damien muttered, stumbling back to the floor, back now against the wall of his cell. "How the fuck did yo-"

There was a squelching sound as a dark tendril forced it's way through Damien's stomach, puncturing through him and sticking into the wall behind him with a sticky popping sound. His voice caught in his throat, instead letting out a sudden grunt, a searing pain blossoming where he had been impaled, his eyes bulging and widening as the female figure stepped closer towards him. He could feel the crimson puddle that was already pooling around him and realized he was going to die.

She ran her fingers along his chin, letting the crimson blood that was leaking from his mouth wash over her fingertips, before grabbing at him and tilting his face up to look at hers. "You had this coming for a long time. You don't deserve to live," She stated, leaning down to his ear as the light in his bloodshot eyes began to dim. "See you in Hell."

Damien's body weakened, his limbs feeling heavy, everything going numb, but as his vision turned black, all he could see was a set of piercing red eyes.

When the prison staff arrived, all they found was the dead corpse of a man strewn in his own blood, while on the wall a large bright message was left in sanguine.

 **The Crimson Thief sends her regards.**

* * *

 **This chapter's a lot shorter than our previous ones there were really only a few story-beats I wanted/needed to hit, and expanding the conversations any further would just make them feel a little bloated. But at least it's over 3K which is my minumum.**

 **So Airdriver isn't the biggest Midoriya fan. He's got good reason to hate that style of heroism and I'll be expanding upon his experiences with The Raven as we go, but just know that there's a lot to this story that's going to get told this arc. Oh, and because I need at least cause Tokoyami some romantic distress at least once a chapter, shirtless Shouji will have to do.**

 **That final scene though. It's not a long scene, not at all, but it's something I wanted to add, to show that this ain't no Sport's Festival anymore. This is serious business. Most people probably have an idea of where I'm taking this story (Cuz this ain't a mystery novel, I'm pretty obvious when it comes to my plots) and I'm excited to keep it coming.**


	51. A Mask of Pain? Top Hero Arrives?

**Chapter 51 - A Mask of Pain!? Top Hero Arrives!?**

Tokoyami was quite the morning person. He enjoyed waking up early before the sun had risen, and was, for like of a better term, an early bird. He had a rather off-putting habit of waking up before any sane human being would, so when the clock on the wall struck six, his eyes fluttered open thanks to the ticking of his internal clock, and he was wide awake a few minutes later.

Glancing around the shared hotel room, he could see Shouji still bundled under his own covers, sleeping soundly. They were told they didn't need to be up until around seven-thirty, so Tokoyami wasn't about to wake the other boy up if he could help it. Resigning himself to the fate of not being able to sleep, he grabbed his nearby phone from his bedside and decided to flip through the news.

Checking up on the postings of his classmates, he was glad to see that everyone was enjoying their internships to some extent, though it seemed Yaoyorozu was having less than stellar thoughts about her internship. Apparently, the Hero she had chosen was a commercial star and he knew Momo was more invested in actually helping people, as opposed to boosting her popularity. Everyone else seemed pretty pleased, though he noted Midoriya hadn't left a message yet.

 **"You worried about Midoriya,"** Dark Shadow whispered teasingly, quiet enough so that they wouldn't awaken the sleeping boy next to them.

"What happened to calling him Izuku?" Tokoyami rolled his eyes, resting his head against the pillow that was propped up behind him.

 **"You're not answering my question."** Dark Shadow coiled himself around Tokoyami's neck to lazily stare at the phone screen, letting out a stifled yawn in the process.

"I'll admit, I'm curious about who he's interning for. He never mentioned it to us." Despite knowing one of the deepest secrets in Midoriya's life, it was true that neither he nor Shouji was aware of their friend's whereabouts this week. He knew that Midoriya was drafted by a single Hero, but no other info at all.

He hoped his friend would be alright.

Thinking about the internships naturally caused his mind to snap back to his own problems, those problems being Airdriver and his opinions on the style of Heroism that Tokoyami wished to pursue. The patrol the day before had petered into a tense awkward silence, with the sense of disapproval hanging in the air between himself and his mentor.

The last thing Tokoyami wanted was to cause a rift between himself and Airdriver. There was so much respect that he held for the Pro Hero and up until this point, that respect had been mutual. This was the first time in the many years that he knew his teacher, that somehow that respect was frayed.

And Shouji had to bear with it as well. The atmosphere the day before was frosty and he couldn't imagine how Shouji must have felt, just having to watch this whole silent disagreement while being fairly uninvolved and unable to help either party. It wasn't Shouji's problem in the first place, yet his experience on the internship was certainly affected.

In a way, Tokoyami was holding Shouji back from a good experience.

Shaking his head to remove those thoughts, he clicked his beak and decided to try hiding those dark thoughts behind the local news. A new shopping centre was being opened, nice weather was forecasted though it seemed like there'd be rain closer to the end of the week. Everything seemed normal, that was until Tokoyami noticed a rather large article that had popped up on his feed.

And his blood ran cold.

 **Fukuoka Penitentiary broke into! Inmate murdered by Crimson Thief!**

"I thought the Crimson Thief was just that, a thief," Tokoyami hissed aloud, his hands trembling as he swiped down to read the article.

 **"At 2 AM last night, Fukuoka Penitentiary was accosted by the Crimson Thief. She was able to sneak into the cell block containing the toughest criminals known to our city. While no criminals escaped, one was found in his cell, murdered by the Crimson Thief,"** Dark Shadow read quietly, though his voice hitched at the next words, Tokoyami reading ahead to see what had gotten Dark Shadow so spooked.

His hands turned a pale white and his feathers seemed to recede ever so slightly in morbid horror.

"Damien Rogers, a high-profile American prisoner who was known for his attacks that cost the life of the Hero, The Raven, was the Crimson Thief's target..." Tokoyami's voice trailed off as that information processed in his head, setting his phone down gently as he looked at his Quirk, wide-eyed.

The silence between the pair was tangible, but Tokoyami's mind had already begun racing. How did the media find out so soon about this? Why was Damien targeted and none of the other high-profile prisoners? Why did the Crimson Thief not choose to free any of the other prisoners to cause chaos? What was their goal?

But more importantly than any of those questions, his mind was stuck on one in particular. How was Hayate coping with this news? There was no way that he wasn't aware given Heroes tended to get information before the media in most cases, as they were the ones called in to assist in most situations. After yesterday's conversation at The Raven's statue, he didn't want to think about it...

"How long have you been up?" He heard a voice say, glancing to his side to see Shouji rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Turning to the wall clock, it was already past seven.

"About an hour," Tokoyami replied tersely. "I'm an early riser."

"You look troubled," Shouji stated, propping himself up on his elbow to look over at his friend. "Something wrong?"

Tokoyami nodded. "The Penitentiary was broken into last night, it's all over the news. The Crimson Thief killed an inmate."

Shouji's face paled. "W-What?!"

"Yeah, seems like there's a lot more going on in this city than we first thought," Tokoyami bitterly chuckled. "I didn't tell you last night but it's important you know..." His voice trailed off, trying to find the words to explain everything he'd found out.

"Toko?"

"The inmate killed was a man called Damien Rogers, an American who came to Japan many years ago. He was responsible for the attack that killed The Raven," Tokoyami explained, realization dawning on Shouji's face at the statement. "Even worse, I found that Airdri- I mean, Hayate, was hospitalized after that attack. I don't know how he's going to take this incident."

Shouji lay there silently for a moment, finally letting an, "Oh god..."

 **"You guys should be getting ready soon. Even though stuff's going down, Hayate will still be pissed off we're late,"** Dark Shadow explained, bringing the pair back to some semblance of reality.

* * *

The pair quickly changed into their civilian clothes and made their way down towards the lobby of the Hotel, not sure what to expect. Airdriver had said he'd be meeting them here last night, though whether the plans had changed or not, the pair weren't sure. So Tokoyami had to admit he wasn't surprised in the slightest when he saw Beni waiting for them instead, the perky woman giving them a wave and a large grin.

"Hey you two, Hayate asked me to pick you up today since he's at a meeting," She explained as the two students approached. "We've got a guest coming to the agency today and Hayate was adamant that you guys needed to meet this guy."

"Is he alright?" Tokoyami asked quickly, concern clear in his tone.

Beni seemed to hesitate for a moment, a flash of worry crossing her eyes as she pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose. "H-He's fine, I'm sure. He's handled a lot as a Hero." She gave the pair of them a sympathetic look, before motioning for them to get moving. "You guys sure picked a week to intern here, I've gotta say."

"Is it always this active in Fukuoka?" Shouji asked casually.

Beni shook her head. "Normally it's quite quiet here. We've got a great group of local Heroes who help keep the peace. Airdriver is one of them, but you've also got Morning Crow, though he's usually quite laidback most of the time. Then there's Chargevolt, he's a pretty serious Hero with a lot of flashy moves. We've got our fair share of odd Heroes too, Ice Scream is probably the most popular. She has a dual Quirk that lets her amplify her voice and also create ice cream. Pretty cool."

"Sounds like this city is well protected," Tokoyami noted. "So how come the Crimson Thief has been so elusive?"

Beni frowned, fiddling with the microphone on her headset as they turned the corner towards the agency. "We think she has a shadow-manipulation Quirk," She explained. "But we're not sure how it works. Just that once she's in shadow, she basically can melt away."

"I see how that could make for a tough chase," Shouji muttered.

"That's where our guest today comes in. After what happened last night, we decided to invite a Top Hero to come and give us some support." Beni's voice seemed to lift as she talked about this, a small excited squeal added to the end of her sentence, much to the pair's amusement.

"So we'll be meeting a Top Hero?" Tokoyami asked.

"Well, you're already taught by the Number One Hero in Japan, but yeah," Beni confirmed with a smile.

They quickly arrived at the Agency building, following the familiar path through the lobby to the elevator and up to the Airdriver Agency floor. Stepping out, Beni quickly rushed over to her desk, presumably to check on whatever she had left behind when collecting the two students. "You guys wait in the break room, okay. I'd also change into your gear since Hayate will probably be taking you out on patrol again."

"Thank you, Beni," Tokoyami muttered humbly, bowing politely, though Beni laughably waved his gesture off.

"No need for all the formalities. We're all friends here after all," She smiled, settling in at her workstation. "We still need to chat about Japanese mythology, by the way. Don't forget it."

"I won't, do not worry," Tokoyami chuckled, Shouji rolling his eyes at his friend.

The pair quickly changed into their Hero Costumes, heading to the changing room, though Tokoyami noticed Shouji fiddling with his costume's face mask ever so slightly, handling it with tentative care. He didn't want to pry as Shouji's face mask had been a point of contention for the taller boy since they had met, but he had to wonder if Airdriver's comments in this very break room the day before were rearing their head in Shouji's mind.

Finally, unable to bear the silence, he asked, "Is everything alright, Shouji?"

The taller man took a moment to look at Tokoyami, as if coming out of his only little stupour. "Huh, yeah, everything's fine," Shouji muttered with about as much enthusiasm as a mime.

Tokoyami crossed his arms under his cloak, raising a brow, or in his case, a feather at Shouji's reply. "You seem distant all of a sudden."

"S-Sorry, it's just what Hayate said yesterday... I didn't have time to think about it last night because of the whole, him hating Midoriya, thing..." Shouji muttered sheepishly.

"What about what he said?" Tokoyami asked casually, trying to hide the personal interest that he clearly had.

Shouji let out a small sigh, looking his friend carefully in the eye for a few moments before muttering, "I haven't thought about my mask in a long time. About why I wear it... Yesterday was sudden, I wasn't expecting it to be brought up." He bitterly chuckled, "In hindsight, I should have seen it coming."

Tokoyami wasn't sure how to reply or even if he should reply, but Shouji's silence seemed to imply it was his turn to speak.

 **"They bad memories that come with the mask?"** Dark Shadow asked abrasively, fluttering out from underneath Fumikage's cloak to stare at the taller boy, who looked the other way.

"Dark Shadow, you can't just as-"

"Yes."

Tokoyami blinked, caught completely off guard at the interruption. Shouji's fists were clenched, knuckles white and trembling. His eyes were downcast and his entire posture seemed to be mixed between a slouch and a cold paralysis. Whatever it was weighing on him, it was weighing down on the boy hard all of a sudden.

"The story behind this mask isn't kind..." He muttered quietly. "I know that the memories hold me back, keep me from being as outgoing as Beni or as confident as Hayate..." He looked to Tokoyami for a moment, hesitating before stating almost in a whisper, "As strong as you Toko..."

Without thinking, Fumikage lurched forwards, Shouji freezing up when Tokoyami's hands reached out from his cloak to rest on Shouji's own, clasping them tightly. Shouji's eyes widened at the gesture,"T-Toko, why?"

The bird-headed boy glanced up at the taller, Fumikage's expression radiating that he thought the answer was obvious. He looked down to their hands, lifting them ever so slightly before muttering, "You were trembling."

In that moment, Shouji was grateful that his mask was pulled up extra high, as the pink flush of his cheeks would probably have made things very awkward, had Tokoyami been able to see them.

Dark Shadow had, thankfully, remained completely silent, bright yellow eyes watching the pair with a thoughtful gaze.

"You shouldn't tremble," Tokoyami muttered, looking down at their hands, the realization that he was technically holding hands with Shouji beginning to dawn on him. "Y-You're just as powerful as I, in fact moreso in your own way." And there was the stammer.

Shouji didn't reply, instead looking down at their hands, then to his friend, a slight glimmer of that familiar confidence in his eyes. "T-Thank you Toko, really..."

It seemed that in that singular moment, more words had been said than ever before. It was as if, for a brief moment, the pair had really come to connect in a way that they hadn't before. Tokoyami had never thought to comfort someone as he had with Shouji and he was sure, judging by the taller boy's reaction, that it was a similar story for Shouji.

But his mind couldn't help but be drawn to that mask. Just what was the big secret behind it? How traumatizing were the memories attributed to the piece of fabric and what part of Shouji's past was so terrifying that it caused him to completely lose his cool?

 **"You're still holding hands you know."**

Dark Shadow's voice shattered the moment around them, Tokoyami suddenly realizing in an instant what was happening, feeling his feathers flush and his face heat up as he removed his hands and retreated them back under his cloak.

Shouji didn't have that luxury of hiding his hands, instead awkwardly fidgeting with his six arms until he finally found a comfortable crossed arm position, eyes staring at a rather interesting spot on the ceiling.

"We should..."

"Yep..."

 **"I've said it before and I'll say it again, you two are hopeless!"**

* * *

When the pair emerged back into the break room, a familiar voice drifted his way through the doorway, the pair quickly pushing aside the awkwardness of their last encounter as they power-walked over to the lobby where they could see Airdriver having a hushed discussion with Beni. Though when the pair got to the break room door, Airdriver glanced over at them, giving them a small wave.

Tokoyami could instantly see something was wrong. His piercing blue eyes looked ever so slightly bloodshot and his face seemed sunken, almost gaunt, in the light of the office lamps. Though the man put on a smile, thoughts from the day before began to cloud Tokoyami's mind. Was Hayate still angry or upset with the pair, was this smile a fake? And what of that strange feeling that something was being hidden from him? He'd been getting it ever since reuniting with his teacher, that something was off.

"You're both here, brilliant," Airdriver announced, his voice as jovial as ever. He was doing a good job of hiding whatever pain he was in, Tokoyami was sure about that. If it wasn't for the eyes, he'd be convinced his teacher was perfectly okay. "We have a guest arriving shortly. I'd like you to meet him!"

"A Top Hero, right?" Tokoyami asked casually.

Hayate nodded, "I assume Beni already told you then, very good," He smiled, relief washing over his face. "That should make introductions easier."

"She didn't mention a name though," Shouji added.

Beni gave them all a sheepish smile, "It must have slipped my mind. I just sort of assumed I'd said it, but I guess I didn't." Rubbing the pack of her head awkwardly, she gave a nervous laugh, glad when Airdriver joined in with his own chuckle.

"It's all perfectly fine, it's not a problem Beni. Thank you for bringing the boys here as requested. I was busy..."

"With the Penitentiary break-in?" Tokoyami blurted out before he could stop himself.

Airdriver froze for a moment, before answering with a confident, "Yes, yes. It's all over the news, I'm guessing?"

The students nodded. "It was online when I woke up," Tokoyami explained.

"Of course it was, the biggest scandal since everyone in the country discovered All Might was going into teaching of all things," Airdriver muttered to himself, a dreadfully tired tone to his voice. "Well anyway, it's not for you two to worry about. You're here to learn and after I've briefed our Top Hero, we'll go on a patrol down to Canal City."

Shouji's eyes seemed to light up at the mention of the famous shopping complex, the taller boy turning to Tokoyami with a gleeful look in his eyes. "You'll love Canal City, Toko! When I was a kid, my parents and I would go there to shop."

"Right, I keep forgetting you're a Fukuoka local," Airdriver stated aloud. "I'll give you the last day of your internship off to go and explore the city if you wish."

Tokoyami was about to reply with a negative on that one, but Shouji and Dark Shadow both interrupted him with a joined, "Thank you very much, Hayate!"

 _ **"You are not talking yourself out of a day to see the sights,"**_ Dark Shadow hissed in their mind, much to Tokoyami's chagrin, though when his eyes landed on his friend who looked surprisingly excited at the prospect of a day to explore, his inhibitions melted away. This was their internship together after all.

"Now then, our friend should be arriving any minute. Follow me boys." Airdriver turned sharply away from Beni, pointing back towards the stairwell and the elevator. Wordlessly, the pair followed, Beni shuffling along behind excitedly.

They found themselves heading up to the roof, much to the confusion of the two boys. The rooftop itself was rather generic, all things considered. There were iron bars that gated off the building, though there was a raised platform that was just high enough so that someone with a flying or floating Quirk could leap into the skies without a problem.

"So why are we on the rooftop?" Tokoyami asked, the morning sun beating down on the group as they looked out to the city.

"You'll see," Airdriver explained, a pep in his step as he walked over towards the raised platform. "Ah, here he comes."

Airdriver raised a hand and waved, looking up into the sky. Beni gasped excitedly behind them, so the two boys followed Airdriver's eyes until they saw it.

In the clouds, soaring towards them at rapid speeds, was a man. He was too far away to make out, but what stood out were the massive wings that sprouted from his back. They were a dark colour, flapping ferociously as the man sped towards them, diving down to land on the raised platform with extreme grace and precision.

And up close, Tokoyami's eyes widened as he realized just who they were witnessing the arrival of. A messy bundle of light coloured hair, a large visor and a large pair of headphones and a rather well-trimmed goatee were enough to give away his identity. Though his dark shirt with a pretty cool wavy pattern, light white jacket and trousers, with a rather stylish belt, really sealed the deal.

The Number Three ranked Hero, the Wing Hero Hawks, was standing before them.

* * *

 **Hawks just got introduced in the manga and we just found out he's the Hero Fumikage interns with post-liscence exam, so naturally, I decided to bring him in as a character myself. He's had exactly one line in the manga, but judging from the way he looks and the way he didn't seem to like the attention much in the manga, I think I can get a read on his character.**

 **I'm also hyped because if he's getting focus in some way, Tokoyami could also be getting his own focus in the Manga in the next arc. Fingers crossed because any content for my bird boi in canon helps me to flesh out my story even more. I keep most of my plot fairly flexible to account for new content as it comes!**

 **Also, I hope you guys enjoyed the ShouToko moment in this chapter. Because I enjoyed writing it! Anyway, look forward to next chapter (Though it may not be written until after the next manga chapter drops on the off chance we see Hawks again, so I can get an idea for how his character speaks in sentences).**

 **Also, we just hit over 20K views on this fic on this site! Combine that with my 8K views on AO3, that's 28K views on my fic! That's insane! Thank you so much everyone!**


	52. Bird of Prey, Hawks? A Plan of Attack?

**Chapter 52 - Bird of Prey, Hawks!? A Plan of Attack!?**

Tokoyami often didn't find himself lost for words. He'd always have a dark proverb or something to break the silences during a conversation, unless he was the one starting said silences, of course. And yet witnessing the Number Three Hero landing on the rooftop had stunned him into complete silence.

There was something to be said about the grace and precision of Hawks and the way he handled the massive dark red wings that were his quirk with ease. He touched down onto the raised platform, hands in his jacket pockets as he surveyed the area around him.

"Ah, Hawks, glad you could make it, I'm grateful for the help, my friend," Airdriver began, walking up the platform towards the new Hero.

"Well, I couldn't miss this, could I? It's been making all the rounds and I'm always down to help out a friend," Hawks shrugged, the voice a smooth young male greeting their ears.

Hawks was the youngest Hero within the Top 10 of the Billboard Charts and the youngest ever Hero to ever hold the position of Number Three. He had a Hero Agency when he was eighteen and just a few years later, he was holding his own in the Hero scene exceptionally well. Truth be told, Tokoyami was quite the fan, and it seemed that Airdriver and Hawks were both mutual fans of each other, if he was reading their words right.

 **"It's totally the feathers,"** Dark Shadow hummed silently, reading Tokoyami's thoughts.

"We'll brief you inside. It's been a rough morning but with you here I imagine the culprit will be caught in no time," Airdriver explained, leading the third place Hero down the platform towards where the other three were waiting. "I'd be more focused on the case myself but I've got to train these two as part of their internships."

It was when he gestured to the pair that Hawks' eyes lit up from behind his visor, a sly smirk crossing his face.

"So this is who you ended up interning with," Hawks chuckled, pointing a finger towards Tokoyami, who froze in place. "I was surprised when you didn't accept the offer I made, though I guess if it wasn't me you picked, Airdriver's a good choice."

"W-Well, I considered picking you as I've followed your work, but Airdriver was my teacher before... Well, all this," Tokoyami stammered, gesturing wildly around him. "I made a promise to intern with him when I got the chance."

"Fumikage, you turned down the Number Three Hero for me, I've got to say I'm honoured," Airdriver laughed, picking up on the situation pretty quickly. "Sorry Hawks, perhaps you can snatch him up after he gets his licence."

Hawks gave a hearty shrug, clearly not bothered by Tokoyami's choice, instead flicking his eyes to Shouji, who was standing cross-armed behind Tokoyami. "I remember you too, big guy, acted like a tank for the small boy with the... uh..." Hawks took a moment to figure out what he was trying to say, thoughtfully looking into thin air before he figured out what he wanted to say. "Grape hair, right?"

"Y-Yes, I'm Mezou Shouji, though I go by Tentacole on the job," Shouji mumbled, somewhat intimidated, yet also confused by Hawk's rather lax demeanour.

Hawks gave him a nod and a smile, but nothing more, Shouji's eyes looking downcast for a brief moment before Hawks turned to Beni, who was standing beside the boys with an excited look on her face.

"Well, if it isn't the famous Benzaiten. I heard that old Airdriver had a talented technician at his agency. I've heard a lot about you," Hawks said with a wink.

"I-I'm hardly famous Hawks." She tried to wave away his compliments, though the slight blush on her cheeks betrayed that she was certainly flattered. "You can call me Beni for short by the way," She explained with a nervous chuckle, giving him a warm smile. "I'm sure you'll be a great help in this case."

"I certainly aim to help out as much as possible," Hawks nodded, glancing over to the two boys who were watching the exchange. "Any way I can help to make the lives of future Heroes easier is good enough for me."

Airdriver couldn't help a low rumbling laugh at those words. "You're still following your ideals then, good to hear."

With the pleasantries out of the way, Airdriver led Hawks, followed by the other three, back into the building and down the stairs to the Agency. Hawks seemed pretty content and chilled out, looking around at Beni's tech bench with a modest expression of interest, much to Beni's pure excitement. Airdriver opened up his office door for Hawks, before looking over at the students and shaking his head, a way of telling them to wait out there.

"It was nice talking to you both. If possible, while I'm staying here, I'd like to chat with you more. If you've got any questions, don't hesitate to ask, given I was in your shoes just a few years ago myself," Hawks offered, giving the boys a fairly warm smile as he stepped into Airdriver's office, lowering his wings to fit through the doorframe as he went.

And once the door was shut, Tokoyami let out a rather relieved breath as he felt his body deflate from the tension that had been building. "That was something..." He muttered, Shouji nodding in agreement.

"You never told me you got on offer from Hawks," Shouji asked as they walked over to the break room, Beni following a little ways behind with a piece of tech she'd been working on.

"Well, uh, it never really came up," Tokoyami shrugged. "I've been following his work for a while but I just couldn't say no to my teacher. Being truthful, I had not noticed his application until after I had submitted my request for Airdriver."

"He's interested in you though," Shouji replied, "It's a good opportunity."

 **"He seems like a cool guy in person,"** Dark Shadow pondered, slipping out from underneath Tokoyami's cloak to rest on the couch arm. **"Airdriver seems to know him, they were pretty friendly."**

Tokoyami had noticed that as well. Given Hawks and his young age, Fumikage had to wonder just how his teacher knew the guy. Had they worked on stuff previously or was there something there that he wasn't aware of.

"They were definitely friends, though he didn't seem to know Beni by person," Shouji theorized quietly.

"Actually, I think I can answer your questions," The woman in question announced with a knowing smile, pushing her glasses up as they slipped forwards in the excitement. "It's actually quite simple. Hawks interned with Airdriver back when he was in school. They worked on a lot of cases together for the few years he was active."

"Hawks interned with teacher?" Tokoyami choked out in surprise. "T-That wasn't on any of the Hero websites!"

"It was mostly on the down low," Beni explained with a shrug. "Something about Hawks wanting to be his own person when he graduated, so he asked Airdriver to keep his mentorship a secret from the general public."

Tokoyami was surprised. Airdriver had been teaching Tokoyami for around four years, so that meant assuming Hawks had interned with his teacher until the end of his studies, then once Hawks was out in the real world making a name for himself, his teacher had moved straight on to teaching Fumikage. Something about that fact warmed his heart, knowing his teacher had come to him as his next pupil. Perhaps he had potential yet.

"Makes sense," Shouji shrugged adamantly.

"But enough about Hawks," Beni smiled. "We haven't even had a chance to properly chat yet. You guys want to become Heroes, just like Airdriver and Hawks, right?"

Tokoyami nodded, Shouji answering with a curt, "Yes."

"So why do you want to be a Hero then?" She asked, attempting to pry an answer out of the two stoic boys.

Tokoyami was the first to explain, "I want to help people. I want to make sure everyone is safe and content..." He trailed off though, his mind flashing back to the day before and Airdriver's stance on his ideology he'd adopted. Compassion and sacrifice... Was it truly something he should be proud of, his reason for being a Hero?

Dark Shadow, from his place curled around Fumikage, tensed up at these thoughts, the demon's yellow eyes looking to Fumikage's own with a curious glance, perhaps interested in the answer himself. Tokoyami wasn't sure, but before he could think further his voice seemed to speak on its own.

"I... I want to give everyone a chance. I believe in compassion and was inspired by a friend to see the good in everyone, to save those who need saving whether they want to be saved or not." Clenching his fists, he realized that he definitely believed in those words he was stating, remembering how Midoriya looked during the Sport's Festival when he had faced Todoroki. That was the sort of Hero he aspired to be. Looking to Beni with a fire in his eyes, passion behind every word, he finished with a quick, "I want to be someone who does the right thing with no regrets."

Beni's eyes seemed to light up from sheer inspiration as she gave him a beaming smile at his proclamation, the absolute opposite reaction to his teacher the day before. "That's a beautiful reason," She grinned, though a seriousness came over her as she continued. "Just make sure to take care of yourself. Heroes look after the population, but there's got to be someone looking after the Heroes." At that, her eyes drifted to the office door where the two Pros were talking, a wistfulness in her voice as she continued. "He won't admit it but without my research, he may be in a touch more trouble than he'd like. Not that I care about any praise, mind you."

"I imagine he's grateful for your help," Tokoyami stated.

She gave him an odd look at that, crossing her arms and looking back at the pair of them. "There's no imagination about it. I'm just glad I can help out in some way..." Her voice trailed off, her eyes shimmering for a brief sombre moment before flashing back to their happy selves. "But that's enough of me, what about you Shouji?"

Shouji, who had been deep in thought for the whole conversation, blinked in surprise as he realized he was being addressed, before looking to the two with an unsure look. "Well, uh, my reason is that I want to be useful. I'm always told that my Quirk is super handy and useful, so I want to make sure I'm using my gift for good and not wasting it," He explained sheepishly, though that passion Tokoyami had was definitely not as present with Shouji.

Fumikage knew instantly that the taller boy was holding something back, though it was only Dark Shadow who noticed how Shouji's face mask crinkled ever so slightly into a frown.

If Beni noticed, she didn't betray it in her expression, instead standing up to look at Shouji's extra arms curiously. "Yeah, I can see why this Quirk would be useful. You can create more than just extra hands right?"

Shouji nodded, grateful for the slight change of subject. "I can create any body part I wish with my dupli-arms. An ear, an eye, a face, more arms, a mouth of course," He explained, pointing to the mouth he had been speaking through that he had created.

"Hmmm... You'd do well as a surveillance-type Hero," Beni nodded. "But I'm sure you knew that already, right?"

"Indeed. Though I must admit, I'd rather be able to do more than just survey the surroundings."

Tokoyami couldn't help but glance curiously at Shouji. He knew from experience that Shouji was at his best when helping others and enjoyed that experience, perhaps moreso than the majority of Class 1-A. Yet, having a Quirk that doesn't rely on a flashy gimmick or a powerful entity or attack certainly seemed to be holding him back. And Shouji knew it.

"So you want to fight on the front lines?"

It was as if the entire atmosphere in the room changed at those words, though Tokoyami wasn't altogether sure why. Beni had said them with a surprising severity, both boys tensing up, with Dark Shadow even wordlessly turning to Shouji for his response.

"Yes," Shouji replied tersely. "I have many possibilities moving forwards with my Quirk and I've trained my body to withstand blows and deliver back with force. And yet all the time I have been told about my abilities as a scout of a surveyor." Shouji's voice was filled with a surprising amount of anger that Tokoyami was definitely not used to when it came to the taller boy. Shouji had never truly been angry before. Concerned, yes, angry... Not so much.

"However I've seen Heroes time and time again fall into the box that society deems correct for them, never giving them the chance to broaden their skills," Shouji explained, arms folded tightly, Beni listening intently. "I don't wish to be slotted into a category before I've had time to showcase my usefulness and my abilities."

"Is there a reason why you're so determined not to be a Support Hero?" Beni asked cautiously and slowly.

"Yes," Shouji stated.

"And that reason is...?"

Shouji shook his head. "I don't want to discuss it. It's not something I'm comfortable talking about."

 _ **"That sounds just like those times where Midoriya and you would ask about his mask,"**_ Dark Shadow thought.

 _"Indeed. They are most likely connected, though I do not know why..."_ Tokoyami mused back to his Quirk.

Beni shrugged her shoulders, leaning back. "That's fine, though now you've left me all curious about it," She sighed.

"You'll live," Shouji muttered.

"Was that an attempt at a joke?" Tokoyami asked incredulously.

"I've made jokes before," Shouji countered, bopping the back of Tokoyami's head with one of his arms playfully.

It was at that moment that they heard the office doors swing open and the sound of footsteps echoing through the office floor. Airdriver and Hawks stepped out, the pair glancing inwards to the break room where the three were sitting. "We're headed to the Police Station to gather intelligence. Can you do patrols with those two today Beni?" Airdriver asked with a smile.

Tokoyami had a feeling he was only acting peppy to keep up appearances and to avoid worrying himself or Shouji, but it was already too late for that.

"Of course," She replied with a nod, watching as Hawks and Airdriver headed for the elevator.

* * *

As the pair arrived at the police station in silence, a few minutes later, Hawks finally turned to his teacher in an attempt to make conversation. "Hey, it's good that you kept up appearances for them," The younger Hero admitted. "Your pupil would probably worry himself to death over you if he knew how the situation was."

"Then you still have a lot to learn Hawks," Airdriver muttered, looking to his old pupil with a weary smile. "Fumikage is well aware of the situation and probably could tell I was faking a smile. But he's the sort to know when it's better to let things be given the situation at hand."

Hawks raised his arms in defeat, leaning back against his hands as they walked through the front door. "Hey, sue me. He's hard to read since he doesn't give a lot away in body language and he has a natural poker face."

Before they could continue the conversation, they were met up with a few officers who had contacts with other Hero Agencies. It seemed that a few Pro Heroes had taken to the meeting as well, Ice Scream and Chargevolt among them. Morning Crow had apparently been too busy with other issues in his neck of the woods, much to Airdriver's cchagrin His speed would have been appreciated.

Ice Scream was a fairly burly woman with bright pink bubblegum hair and a costume that was outfitted with metallic ice cream cones that doubled as speakers on her elbows and her chest. She looked to Airdriver with a look of uncertainty, perhaps out of pity, though he couldn't tell.

Charevolt, meanwhile, dressed in a light neon blue costume with white accents, was mindlessly zapping some blue electricity between his palms, his spiky white hair sticking up from the static. He said nothing as Airdriver walked past, though as Hawks walked in everyone fell silent, surprised to see the Number Three Hero in their midst.

"Thank you all for coming," The Police Commissioner muttered. "Airdriver has acquired the help of Number Three Hero Hawks in regards to this case. You have been briefed, correct?"

Hawks nodded. "The Crimson Thief, also known as Crimson Shadow, caused various robberies and has killed an inmate in the penitentiary last night. She's known to manipulate shadows in some way to escape her enemy and as far as the Quirk Registry is concerned there are no residents of the Fukuoka Prefecture with a Quirk like that."

"Indeed," Airdriver stated tensely, everyone's eyes focusing on him, curious as to how he'd react. "We have no way of knowing where she will strike next or what she will attempt, but given she was willing to leave a message at the scene of her latest crime, it stands to reason that she is looking for attention."

"Any clue as to what she wants?" Ice Scream asked cautiously, the large woman folding her arms carefully.

"I... I have my suspicions." Hawks looked up his old mentor with an interested look, Airdriver looking back with solemn eyes. "Damien Rogers, the man killed, was not chosen randomly. He was held in a very specific and secure part of the prison complex, meaning the Crimson Shadow was targeting him. What do we know about Damien?"

The Police Commissioner was the one to speak, pointing to a whiteboard where he began writing down information. "He was an American, had been jailed for 16 years and was responsible for the death of The Raven as well as your own hospitalization. Aside from this, there isn't much to go off of."

"Exactly," Airdriver sighed. "I have reason to suspect that the Crimson Shadow is trying to send a message to someone."

Hawks spoke up then, "I think I understand. She's sending a message to you, Airdriver, isn't she."

Everyone's eyes turned to Airdriver, who nodded in resignation. "Of that incident, I am the only one still alive, so I suspect that whoever this is wants to contact me for some purpose."

"Then should we use you as bait, Hayate?" The cool sound of Chargevolt's voice asked from across the room.

"Using a fellow Hero as bait, that's absurd!" Ice cried out, her voice ringing in everyone's ears. "To endanger hi-"

"No, he's right," Airdriver stated, interrupting the pink-haired woman, who turned to him in shock.

"You can't mean to actually use yourself as bait? This woman has killed, Hayate!"

Airdriver shrugged his shoulders. "I've seen my fair share of battles. And I'd rather myself be the one in danger than an innocent civilian on the streets. If I don't react to her message, she might try to send another. I don't think any of us need to think about what that entails."

Ice Scream's fire and rage melted away in an instant at the thought of another murder taking place, her force relenting as she looked away solemly. "I still don't like this plan," She muttered.

"So, what do we do to get her attention?" Hawks asked. "Airdriver would need to meet her alone and she seems cautious enough that any attempt to ambush her would end in failure."

"Tonight, I'll go out on patrol alone. If she really is watching for me, I can go to the Warehouse District by the docks and meet with her. Though I cannot allow anyone to follow me, I can tell you where I plan to be."

"At top speed, I can fly through the city skies in around a single minute," Hawks explained. "You could have some way of signalling me to head over. I could get there faster than any other Hero and my abilities are perfect for quick and effective takedowns."

"Then we have a plan," The Police Commissioner announced. "As for everyone else, it would be best if we all continued the day as normal. There is no need to cause suspicions, assuming the Crimson Shadow is aware of our movements."

With the plan set, Hawks and Airdriver quickly decided to return to the Agency, their goal to come up with the finer details of their plan. But Airdriver couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was sinking in his stomach as he thought about the Crimson Shadow. For deep down, he had his suspicions and the truth was too much to bear, if it turned out to be the case...


	53. Catching Up! Putting the Plan in Motion!

**Chapter 53 - Catching Up!? Putting the Plan in Motion!?**

Tokoyami and Shouji didn't see their mentor for the rest of the day after he left that morning with Hawks. Beni had decided to take them on a more lax patrol route down the finer parts of the city, using their route as a chance to purchase some supplies she needed for one of her projects back at the agency. Beni, unlike Airdriver, was a little more lenient when it came to their need to cater to the crowds, seeing as she wasn't as well known as her superior and Tokoyami couldn't help but be grateful at that fact.

After the day before and the many pictures he was forced to take with Tourists, getting the chance to see the sights while being on the job, without the worry of people stopping him, was a breath of fresh air. They stopped by Canal City, as Airdriver had originally planned to take them there before he had decided to call off his own patrol, and marvelled at the bustling crowds and beautiful canals, though Shouji was much less interested in the busy public tourism spot, walking around silently and barely uttering a word the whole time.

Tokoyami couldn't help but feel worried for him, given he had seemed so excited that morning about the prospect of taking Tokoyami to Canal City. Had their conversation with Beni at the Agency soured his mood so much?

"Perhaps you could go to Uminonakamichi for your final day here," Beni thought aloud as they were coming to the end of their patrol route, turning to the pair with a large smile, her ginger hair swishing as she did so.

They were coming up on the hotel the pair was staying at as the sun began to set, so that made it clear they weren't stopping back at the agency, but still after such a patrol, he was surprised that of all the things on Beni's mind, it was their own plans for that final day where they'd be allowed to sightsee.

"To where?" He asked hesitantly, glancing over to Shouji, who was a few paces behind them.

The taller boy's eyes lit up ever so slightly at the mention of the place, however, Shouji's excitement coming across as he said, "It's a large Marine Park, one of the best places to visit here in Fukuoka. My mother used to take me there as a kid because I loved the aquarium."

 **"I'm guessing the Octopus exhibit was your favourite,"** Dark Shadow jeered, getting an eye roll from Shouji, though the slight crinkle of his mask seemed to imply Dark Shadow had hit it right on the money.

Tokoyami couldn't help the slight chuckle he let out at Shouji's embarrassment, Beni warmly smiling at the teenage pair who were lost in their own little moment.

 _"Those two really are something,"_ Beni thought to herself as they continued to chatter away as they walked. _"Hayate really made a good choice by letting Shouji come with Tokoyami. They're both so open around each other, even if they don't seem to realize it."_

Beni had heard a great deal about Fumikage from her senior, having been working with Hayate for a few years during the time he was training the young bird-headed Hero to be. She had heard that he was a guarded boy who was trying to become better but had nothing to really work towards during his training. The young man she saw before her seemed to be the complete opposite of the one who Airdriver had described those months ago.

 _"I wonder if it has something to do with the one who inspired Tokoyami's convictions as Hero?"_ She thought to herself. Whoever the mystery student was that had inspired Tokoyami and had impressed upon Shouji as well was someone really special. She knew she'd love to meet them one day. Those two had such interesting lives ahead of them, so much to still discover in their three years they'd be at U.A.

"It really is crazy what U.A. can do, huh," She softly mumbled, her thoughts trailing off as they neared the hotel.

"Did you say something, Beni?" Fumikage asked, the young woman tilting her head back to reply.

"No, not at all," She said, shaking her head. "Anyway, while I may not be as exciting as Airdriver, I hope you enjoyed your time on patrol with me."

The pair gave their thanks, with Beni giving them a nod and a smile, letting them know they could travel to the agency themselves tomorrow since she'd be working on a project overnight for Hayate. So with that the ginger-haired girl pushed her glasses up, pulled up her army jacket ever so slightly and set off into the evening, leaving the two boys to reflect on their second day of patrols.

"Want me to buy some snacks from the store for us?" Shouji asked once Beni had turned the corner, the six-armed boy eyeing the small convenience store just a few doors down with four different eyes.

"Indeed. I shall head to our room as I'd like to get changed as soon as possible," Tokoyami explained, glancing down at the dark cloak he wore. It really wasn't the best suit to be wearing on a hot day and as much as he'd want to visit the store himself, he'd much rather be comfortable now that they were off-duty.

"Right, I'll see you in a few minutes then," Shouji replied, before briskly setting off towards the store.

Tokoyami watched as Shouji disappeared into the shop, then pushed open the Hotel Doors and headed inside. He gave curt nods to each of the employees of the establishment as he walked past, grabbing the nearest elevator and heading up to their room.

The first thing he did was strip off his Hero clothes, quickly setting them to the side before heading straight for the bathroom. He wanted to get a quick shower in, seeing as they wouldn't be going anywhere that evening and it was already nine. Dark Shadow chose to go dormant at this point, allowing his owner a brief moment of privacy as Tokoyami stepped into the shower.

* * *

Shouji arrived a few minutes later, two plastic bags slung over his shoulders as he unlocked the door to the room, glad to be back in their space for the evening. The taller boy had to admit that the day had been fairly trying, from the dramatic arrival of Hawks to the questioning he'd received from Beni about his desires. He couldn't help the shame twisting deep inside of him for hiding his past from the Pro Heroes, but it was something he couldn't dwell on.

And he resolved when he first placed on his mask that he would only allow those closest to him to know the true extent of his past. To know why he covered his face and concealed himself from those around him.

It was tough remembering those trying times...

Still, he couldn't help but feel grateful for the support he'd gotten over the last month when it came to his friends. Tokoyami, Midoriya, Kouda, Uraraka and the rest of Class 1-A had really helped him to feel more wanted and needed than he'd been ever in his life prior.

Wistfully, he pulled out his phone to see how the other internships were going, though a few minutes of scrolling and it seemed almost everyone was either asleep from overwork or busy. That is, except for one of the few people he wanted to hear most from.

He quickly pulled up the number on his phone, selecting a video call after getting permission. And then the screen flashed on to reveal Midoriya's beaming face on the other side.

"Good evening, Midoriya," Shouji waved to his friend on the phone.

Midoriya gave an excitable wave, though his phone shook in his hand and he almost dropped it from excitement, much to Shouji's entertainment. Though he had to admit, looking at Midoriya there was certainly something different about him already.

In the two days they had spent at the internships, Midoriya already seemed more confident and he could feel an air of power through the phone. "Good evening, Shouji!" Midoriya grinned back. "S-Sorry I almost dropped the phone, it's been a long day."

"You look stronger," Shouji noted calmly, Midoriya looking bashfully at the floor at that.

"Is it that noticeable?" He stammered awkwardly, unsure of where to avert his gaze, much to the mirth of Shouji who nodded.

"I'm guessing you're getting a handle on One for All?" Shouji asked, hoping for a positive answer.

Though he was surprised to hear an older voice call out from somewhere in the background, "Did your friend just say the name of your secret Quirk?"

Midoriya froze up at that, looking out past the phone to whoever was behind it. "Well, you see, they found out about One for All by accident because my class was betting on my Quirk and some people thought I was All Might's child, which wouldn't even make sense because we don't look alike at all and I don't know how I'd feel if he was my father because-"

Something suddenly slammed into Midoriya, the boy crying out in surprise as he was sent tumbling into the wall with his phone still in his hand. Shouji wasn't sure how to react when he saw a yellow boot fall into view just off camera. "You were mumbling again," The old voice despaired. "This is serious business, you should get to the point."

"R-Right, sorry," Midoriya stammered, pushing himself up from the wall, wiping some dust from his clothing with his free hand. "Basically, they figured out about my power and All Might confronted us about it. So now they know everything about the Quirk, how it works and the danger that knowing about the Quirk entails," Midoriya finished. "But it's okay. As I said, Gran Torino, All Might knows and is okay with it."

There was a moment of silence, with Shouji only able to hear the sound of the shower in the bathroom, before a small sigh could be heard. "I'll need to talk to that man about this," He heard the man he assumed was Gran Torino lament quietly. "Get back to your friends, I won't keep you. But I'll work you extra hard tomorrow. If anything happens to them because they know your secret, you'll be responsible."

Midoriya's face darkened considerably at that, the boy silently nodding before moving to head outside, Shouji watching as Izuku stepped onto the front doorstep. "I-I'm sorry you had to see that, Shouji..."

"It's fine, really. We've all had some tough moments over the past few days," Shouji explained casually. "I have to admit, I'm feeling somewhat out of place here."

"How come?" Izuku asked, sitting himself down on the top step of his abode.

Shouji leaned back on his bed slightly, letting out a sharp exhale as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. "In all honesty, Midoriya, it feels like I am tagging along. It's clear that Tokoyami is the focus of the internship and while everyone here is telling me that I'm just as important, I know that isn't the case."

The frown on Midoriya's face said it all. "You shouldn't let that stuff get you down Shouji. You're a great Hero, you shouldn't doubt your importance. Without you, I don't think Tsuku or I would have done as well as we did at the Festival. Because you were looking out for us, for everyone!"

"Try telling me that when the Number Three Hero barely glanced in my direction today."

"What!?"

Shouji spent the next few minutes explaining about Hawks visiting the Agency and the break-in at the Penitentiary. Summing up the events of the last twenty-four hours, it only then occurred to Shouji that a lot had happened in Fukuoka in such a short time. He didn't mention Airdriver's disdain for Midoriya's heroic methods, however. With Midoriya already somewhat saddened by his own mentor, getting a hit from their mentor might be too much for one evening.

"Woah, that's amazing! I can't believe you get to meet the Number Three Hero! I've researched Hawks before. He's able to make his feathers do what he wants individually and can use each feather to save people from danger! He's super quick as well! You'll learn so much just from watching him!"

"I figured you'd enjoy hearing that," Shouji smiled from beneath his mask.

"Even so, it doesn't matter that he didn't look at you. If you really want Hawks to acknowledge you, it just means you need to make him look at you," Midoriya explained, a determined grin crossing his face, a look that could fire anyone up. "If anyone can get Hawks attention, it's you Shouji!"

And then so quietly Shouji almost didn't hear it, he heard, "I believe in you, anyway..." Midoriya looked away nervously at those last words, a slight red coating his cheeks as he said it.

And Shouji had no idea how to react at that moment, but it didn't matter.

It was at that moment when the bathroom door opened.

Tokoyami stepped out with Dark Shadow prattling on about why he had to dry every individual feather, much to the boy's irritation. He was already dressed in his nightwear, glancing over to Shouji while towelling his feathers with a curious look. "Are you talking to someone?" He asked cautiously.

"Oh, is that Tsuku!?" Midoriya's voice rang from the phone excitedly.

Tokoyami was at Shouji's side, looking into the phone in an instant, much to Dark Shadow's amusement, who slinked along behind his owner, the excitement in the air palpable. "Midoriya, you look stronger," Tokoyami stated smoothly.

Midoriya bashfully looked away, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly as he tried to hide his embarrassment at Tokoyami's compliment, face turning a slight red.

Shouji arched a brow at their interaction, folding two of his arms together tightly as he watched the pair chatter away for a few minutes, watching as one would make the other laugh as they talked about their internships. And Shouji couldn't help but attempt to tune the pair out for a moment. After a tiring day where he was already feeling inadequate from Hawks assessment of his powers, as well as the way Beni put him on the spot, he wanted nothing more than to rest, not be reminded of his stupid one-sided crush.

Dark Shadow was glaring daggers at him the entire time the other two chatted, which only further irritated Shouji who wanted nothing more than to hang up the phone and sleep. But that wouldn't be fair... Tokoyami and Midoriya had done nothing wrong to him, it was his own emotions that were quietly plaguing him.

But then his mind flashed back to that morning where they were in the changing room and how Tokoyami had grabbed his hands and held them, how Shouji had been doubting himself and trembling over his insecurities. Even now, he could feel a slight blush under his cheeks as he thought back to that moment, wishing that their moment had meant something more.

"Shouji?" He heard Tokoyami ask, the taller boy blinking as he found himself back in the room, so to speak, the pair of them looking at him with worried glances, Dark Shadow with his arms folded from his perch by the foot of the bed.

"S-Sorry, I was thinking..." Shouji muttered, pulling his mask up even higher. "Please, continue your conversation."

Tokoyami shook his head though, looking back to Midoriya with a weary gaze. "I'm afraid we must be getting some sleep now, Midoriya. Perhaps we can all catch up in a few days?"

"Y-Yeah..." Midoriya mumbled sadly, clearly noticing the tension that had just filled the air, even through his phone. "Shouji, before I go, just remember what I said earlier. If anyone can make an impression, it's you! I still believe in you!"

One goodbye later and Midoriya's face vanished as the call hung up and seconds later...

"You're upset." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Shouji refused to meet Tokoyami's eyes though. There was a silence as Tokoyami seemed to be waiting for an answer, then Shouji heard the last thing he expected to hear. "I'm sorry Shouji."

 **"What?"** Shouji snapped his head back, not expecting an apology of all things.

"I can see you're not enjoying your internship," Tokoyami explained, the raven-headed boy looking down at the palms of his hands. "It's my fault, I forced you into this and I can see you don't want to be here."

Shouji didn't know what to say. He really didn't know what to say at that moment. He was just silent, looking at his friend, unable to express why he was upset. That would mean talking about his past, talking about his feelings, talking about the inferiority complex that he was certain was starting to stem from his time at U.A.

"I'm sorry again," Tokoyami sighed, walking over to his bed, the snacks that Shouji had bought them still sitting on a counter, definitely not being eaten that night. "Good night."

There was so much dejection in Tokoyami's voice, but Shouji couldn't bring himself to say anything else. He did feel like he didn't want to be here, or at least a part of him felt that way. But then the part of him that wanted to be there for Tokoyami and to learn from the Hero who taught Hawks and Toko... Shouji turned away, scrunching his eyes closed in irritation. He needed to sleep on it. That's all he needed...

The pair of students both fell asleep, that night, confused and upset.

Though Dark Shadow wasn't sleeping that night. His yellow eyes were glaring at Shouji, the Quirk almost tempted to smack the taller boy on the head for his idiocy. But he knew this was something they needed to resolve themselves. He couldn't keep prodding them like he did... So Dark Shadow slunk back into his dormant state, hoping that the pair would sort this little spat out because he was running out of patience.

* * *

The crashing of the waves in the distance was all that could be heard as Airdriver stepped down the dimly lit streets that led to the Warehouse District, the man glancing around at the deserted streets as they began to darken. It was around midnight and the plan was in motion. He was live bait, waiting to see if they could spring the trap on the wary Crimson Shadow.

He had made sure that nobody would be following him that evening, the only contact he had being a small radio button in his pocket that he could press to summon Hawks in the blink of an eye, courtesy of Beni, who was watching from the Agency with Hawks. When she had arrived after dropping the students off, Hayate had filled her in on the meeting and what they were planning to attempt, asking her to make some simple radio devices that could be used to wordlessly communicate between himself and the Agency.

He had set off at around eleven at night, doing his usual patrol route and talking to some of the late night visitors to the city, before slipping off into the part of town that nobody would normally tread in. The Warehouse District was always quiet with no civilians around as it was mainly a part of the city where storage was the main focus. He'd walk past a guard or two who were on night-duty but nobody batted an eye. He was a Pro Hero after all.

His plan was to head to a deserted set of storage houses near the ocean that had been unused for quite some time, with the hope that if the Crimson Shadow really was tailing him, she would show herself.

He arrived at the location, slipping through a side door into the main storage building, lighting a candle as he went. With the buildings in disarray, the lighting wouldn't work and would probably serve to scare the Crimson Shadow off, given her power seemed to be escaping through the shadows themselves.

"This place is a wreck," He muttered as he stepped on a broken piece of wood from a derelict storage crate that had begun to splinter and crack. The building itself was structurally sound, but the contents of whoever had owned the place prior to it's shut down had never been moved. It left the entire hanger with a mildewy smell that Airdriver wasn't fond of.

Placing himself flat up against one of the walls, he leaned on to it and placed the candle he had lit beside him on the floor, illuminating the short space around him. From his position, he'd be able to see anything enter or exit the warehouse, a perfect spot to set up shop. All he had to do now was wait.

And so he let out a deep breath and crossed his arms, senses alert as he began to the main stage of the plan.

To catch the Crimson Shadow.


	54. Mission Failed? Beni's Counselling?

**Chapter 54 - Mission Failed!? Beni's Counselling!?**

"So you're telling me that she didn't show?" Hawks asked incredulously as Airdriver leaned forwards, head in his hands, at his Agency Office.

The Pro Hero had waited in that warehouse the entire night, his candle slowly burning out as he leaned against that stone wall for any sign of the elusive Crimson Shadow. He was so sure that she was going to meet with him, so sure that he knew who the Crimson Shadow was but this... This threw his entire plan out of the window. Had he been correct, she would have shown herself. But she didn't appear at all. The only other explanation was that she knew that the meeting was a trap.

And he had wasted an entire night, following an already trying day, with no sleep and the only thing keeping him going was the adrenaline and the concern he had for the city knowing that the Crimson Shadow was still at large.

What on earth was he going to tell the Police? How would they react knowing that his carefully thought out plan had ended in complete failure? And with Hawks on the case as well, being a Hero of such high regard, it only added to the embarrassment and frustration that was beginning to mount. It was an asbolute failure from a publicity standpoint, should anyone find out about it.

"She had to have known something was wrong," Beni suggested in a vain attempt to cheer up her boss. "Maybe she sensed the radio I built or she didn't want to be alone with you because you could have beaten her in a figh-"

"That's not it Beni!" Hayate growled, slamming a fist on his desk in frustration. "That warehouse was pitch black. She can use shadows to her will, we know that. She'd have had the advantage."

Hawks, meanwhile, was glancing out of the windows at the busy streets below, having moved away from the pair to give his old teacher some space. This trickster of a thief had somehow known about their plans in advance. Was there a plant amongst those at the meeting who was feeding her information? It was unlikely to be the other Pro Heroes, they had nothing to gain from the Crimson Shadow's actions...

But the police...

"What if someone on the Police Force made a deal with her?" Hawks asked cautiously, voice lowered as if anyone could be listening in.

"The Police?" Beni replied in shock. "But why would they be working with a criminal?"

"Damien Rogers was a prisoner of fifteen years already, right? Perhaps they figured they wanted to be rid of him and couldn't execute him themselves as his sentence didn't allow for it, so instead they hired the Crimson Shadow to commit the crime for them." Hawks folded his arms and looked over to his teacher, who had perked up at his suggestion.

"We cannot act on this information Hawks," He stated coldly. "It is a hunch, nothing more."

Hawks shrugged. "I'm just saying, it's a possibility we need to consider."

With that, Hawks decided it would be best to head out and scout the city. He didn't feel like sticking around in that stuffy room with Hayate and he certainly didn't trust the police force enough to go to another of their meetings. Beni would be better at calming the tired Hero down anyway, he'd only serve to aggravate him further.

Pushing open the office door, the blonde haired man stepped out into the main Agency, coming face to face with the two students that were interning at the Agency for the week.

Fumikage Tokoyami, trained by Hayate himself, with the power of darkness at his disposal and performing admirably in the Sport's Festival. Hawks had to admit, his personality was quite refreshing as he seemed, not reserved, but quiet. He enjoyed the silence and his interests didn't seem to line up with your typical school child, probably thanks to his Quirk's nature.

Had Airdriver not picked Tokoyami up, Hawks was sure he would have snatched the boy in his talons, so to speak, and taught him how a Pro in the big leagues can work.

And next to him, the taller of the two, was that six-armed student that was accompanying him. He could vaguely remember his name from the day before... Mezi... Mezu... Mezou, that sounded right. Mezou Shouji, he believed. The student seemed to have more of a commanding presence with his large stature and build, but from the moment Hawks laid eyes on the boy, he could sense an insecurity that was hindering him.

His eyes were drawn to that mask that the taller boy wore. He hadn't seen him without it, from what he could recall. Perhaps that had something to do with it, not that he had time to care. He had a job to do, after all.

Though as he walked past the boys who both nodded to him, he noticed that the moment he was out of their site, they remained extremely distant from each other, each drifting to a different part of the lobby. Probably a friendly squabble or something. They'd sort it out amongst themselves, he was sure. They seemed like great friends from the day before so he imagined this was one of those best friend arguments that got fixed within a day or two.

Shaking his head clear of those students, he set his sights on the roof and quickly climbed up, ready to patrol and help the people of Fukuoka as best he could. He could leave the internship to the one who brought them here.

And so he climbed out into the crisp morning air, breathing in that cool scent of spring that would very soon be coming to an end. He stepped up to the helipad, getting a perfect view of the city from where he was, seeing all the parks, attractions, tourist spots and everything notable. He'd work his way through the city and ensure that everyone would be okay.

He was a Pro after all.

* * *

Hayate had called off his attendance to the Police Force's meeting that afternoon, Beni making the executive decision of telling him to go and rest. Having been on high alert all night, he wasn't in a position to do anything, so while Beni dealt with Agency business, he was forced to rest in his office for the rest of the day, his mind dwelling on the incident as he tried to figure out what went wrong.

Beni, meanwhile, slipped out of his office as quietly as she could, not wanting to cause any more disturbances for her boss.

She was surprised though, to see Shouji and Tokoyami both sitting on opposite ends of the lobby, the pair both looking exceptionally gloomy. Apparently, it was going to be one of _those_ days, she thought to herself. The pair of them both faced towards her as she exited the office, however. But she could only shrug at them when they seemed to be waiting for instructions.

"I'm afraid Hayate is in no position to intern you today," She explained solemnly.

"Is he alright?" Tokoyami asked, concern etched into his tone as he glanced towards the office of his former teacher.

Beni nodded. "He's fine, he just needs rest. Our plan to catch the Crimson Shadow didn't go so well and he ended up wasting a lot of energy." She moved over to her tech desk, choosing to busy her hands in an attempt to distract herself. "He hasn't slept since the night of the Incident."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Tokoyami muttered, voice low.

Shouji said nothing, looking towards Beni, then back to his clenched fists, barely registering that stuff was going on around him. He was definitely out of it, so was Tokoyami. She didn't like that. Sure, Shouji had been a little distant the day before, but the pair were still having fun and teasing each other when she left them the day before.

She had to wonder what was going on... Perhaps there was a way to find out.

"Actually, while I can't afford to leave the Agency today as we have no one else on staff, I do have a job you can do," Beni explained to the pair, though when Shouji moved to head over to Beni, she shook her head. "I'm afraid I only want Tsukuyomi to handle this job."

Tokoyami seemed momentarily surprised, his eyes widening ever so slightly as he headed over to Beni, who proceeded to give him a fairly long list of items to collect from various stores around the city that she needed for some weapon upgrades. "If you're able to collect all of this, I'll be extremely grateful. But this is an internship, so consider this a task of paramount importance."

"Of course, I'll get it done, Beni-"

"Benzaiten, if you will. We're on duty," She said forcefully, much to the pair's surprise.

"Right, Benzaiten, I'll get it done," Tokoyami repeated, taking the slip of paper from her with the materials needed. "Should I change into my Hero Costume or...?"

Beni shook her head. "Civilian gear is fine, I saw how you were yesterday. You really shouldn't wear a dark black cloak like that in this heat," She explained. Even though she was being hard on him, she didn't want to give the poor boy heatstroke.

Tokoyami nodded to her and quickly turned to the elevator, jogging over. Beni noticed Shouji looking to his friend, clearly wanting to say something, but as Tokoyami turned back to look at them one more time, Shouji turned away, having lost the confidence to say what he wanted to say. So Tokoyami stepped into the elevator alone. The doors shut behind him and with a small ding, he was gone.

Her plan had worked, thank goodness, leaving her alone with Shouji.

"Alright, now that he's gone," She stated loudly, enough for Shouji to notice, the six-armed boy looking to her surprised. "You, me, break room, now. We need to talk."

Shouji couldn't help the nervous gulp of air he took in as she led the way, striding straight into the break room, knowing Shouji would definitely be following close behind.

She took a seat on one of the sofas, motioning for him to sit opposite her, her hands folded in her lap as she looked him over, noticing the tension in his shoulders. Though whether he was concerned about the situation or the potential questions she might ask, she couldn't tell.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush, Shouji. Something is bothering you," Beni stated, watching for his reaction. Though it seemed he was aware of her watchful eye as he had a poker face she couldn't figure out. "I understand that you have your own problems, but in an actual agency, if you aren't able to work effectively in a team due to bad communication or an issue you don't want to talk about, you'd be fired on the spot."

"I know," Shouji muttered quietly.

"Then tell me, what's on your mind?" Beni asked.

She wasn't sure what to expect from Shouji, having only known him for two days, but her gut was telling her that he was under a lot more pressure than people seemed to realize. It wasn't hard to tell if someone was under pressure when their entire career was built around pressured situations.

Finally, the taller boy sighed, one of his arms forming a mouth to speak, his voice confused in tone. "I've had a lot on my mind these past few days. I guess being back in Fukuoka is bringing up the past and it wasn't always good." Shouji motioned to his mask. "This mask is a result of my childhood here. I can't go into the details, I promised myself I'd only tell those who had earned my utmost trust..."

Shouji shook his head silently. "...Honestly, I feel small. Like I'm not worthy of being able to intern here."

"What makes you say that?" Beni asked, attempting to push past whatever barriers this taller boy was holding up.

She knew from experience that some light prodding would always work when it came to getting people to talk about what was bothering them, though she also knew that it was best to let them talk at their own pace and not to rush them. By getting Tokoyami out of the building on a tough errand, she made she they'd have more than enough time to talk things through.

"I didn't receive any other offers. Just this one," Shouji stated. "And even then, it was a joint-offer with Toko."

"You mean Tokoyami, right?" She asked, curiously glancing at him as he realized his brief mistake.

The slight flush of colour that peeked from the top of his mask was enough to show she'd flustered him somewhat with her comment, and it gave her just a little bit more of an idea of what was going through his head. This wasn't going to be as simple as she thought.

"I think I know my boss pretty well," Beni stated, tilting her head back in thought. "And I got to look through the candidates along with him, y'know, so I know he didn't add you to the list just because you were Tokoyami's friend or as a pity offer."

Shouji looked unconvinced, even though she was telling the truth. In all honesty, Airdriver had looked at Shouji and remembered him from the Hero Exams and how he was an excellent surveillance Hero, perfect for scouting out from rooftops and on the ground. They couldn't have known going forwards that he wanted to be more than just the scouter of a group.

"I'm the voice of reason in my group of friends," Shouji admitted quietly, trying to steer the subject. "Tokoyami, he's driven and motivated, but he wasn't always like that. He just wants to prove to Hayate how much he's changed. And my friend Midoriya, he's inspired our whole class with his ability to be so selfless and attempt to save everyone. Kouda too, he's shy and knows his limitations but he's attempting to overcome those fears and prove to the world that he can be just as Heroic as the rest of us, even with a non-combative Quirk." Shouji's voice lowered in tone as he continued though. "But then there's me... Everyone else is making strides forwards and I feel stuck at the starting line."

Beni couldn't help but feel for the boy. Being in a class with nineteen other Hero Trainees, it was bound to get tough when everyone's egos were probably as fragile as glass and with the world of Heroism being so cutthroat, those weaker-willed Heroes found themselves being eaten by the stronger.

"I guess I feel frozen in place," He humourlessly laughed, a comment that seemed to have a double meaning, though she had no idea what. "I wanted so much to impress at the Sport's Festival, yet I was stopped by someone who has become a barrier I have yet to overcome."

"Who was it?" Beni asked.

"Shouto Todoroki," He replied bitterly. "He is a friend and a classmate, but he has stopped me twice from being able to show my usefulness. Once in our first training class where he simply didn't even need me to succeed in our objective and then once again in the Cavalry Battle when he froze most of us in place to stop us from collecting more headbands."

"Endeavour's kid, I watched his battles. He seems like someone with a lot of demons in his head, though given his father, I can see why," She shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "You may have more in common with him than you might think. Have you tried talking with Todoroki about your feelings?"

Shouji shook his head.

"Okay then, have you tried confiding in anyone at all?" Shouji hesitated for a moment, as if about to say something, but shut his mouth. And Beni was having none of that. "What were you about to say? Out with it, c'mon!"

"I talked about it with Tokoyami yesterday morning," He admitted, glancing to the changing rooms. "While we were changing, he approached me about my mood and I told him about how I knew I was holding myself back. And then Hawks came and I just-" His voice cut off as he breathed a deep breath and sighed.

Now she was started to get it. "Let me guess, Hawks barely spoke to you yesterday, right? So you're feeling like if the Number Three Hero doesn't care about you, why are you even trying. Am I wrong?"

Shouji seemed surprised at her bluntness, but after a minute of silent contemplation, he finally shook his head. "You're not wrong. It's exactly as you said. He sees something in Toko, but he doesn't see anything in me. It just proves that I've fallen behind and failed to showcase my skills."

"Or maybe you're getting overly worked up about the situation," Beni supplied, leaning forwards on her palms. "He's the Number Three Hero and you're a Trainee Student. It's only been a month since you started work in the Hero Course, right? So maybe you're thinking too far ahead too early and not allowing yourself to revel in the little victories."

"Like how you were able to complete the obstacle course race, how you helped come up with a brilliant strategy in your Cavalry Battle. And from reports of the USJ incident, you helped to save your Class President so he could escape and inform the school of what was happening. Who cares if you messed up at the Sport's Festival. You actually saved your classmates' lives when you stopped that villain." Beni looked him over once more, hoping that her words were getting through in some way.

"That is true..." Shouji mumbled, though she was sensing there was something else going on here. Just because he felt inadequate, that didn't explain why Shouji and Tokoyami weren't speaking.

"Is there a reason why the two of you aren't speaking?" Beni asked before the silence could become too oppressive. She needed to keep him talking if he was to explain the situation. "What you've told me, it explains your distance, but not the rift between you two. And don't lie to me, it's clear something's up."

Shouji paused once more, looking down at his closest pair of hands, fiddling with them as he tried to come up with what to say, eventually settling on, "He apologized to me last night."

"Apologized?"

"He feels he forced me into accepting this internship," Shouji explained, his posture drooping as he explained. "Last night, I was frustrated and tired after feeling upset from Hawks. I thought talking with Midoriya would help, he tried to give me some advice..." He trailed off at that, a dark shadow crossing his face as his fists clenched. "When Toko came to chat, they were chatting so much and were having such a good time, I felt awful for being such a burden on m friends... But I wanted nothing more than for them to just stop talking."

"Why did you want them to stop talking?"

"I was tired and..." He took a deep breath as he said quietly, "...selfish."

It was very clear to Beni from the pain in his voice that he didn't agree with his own actions, or at least he didn't want to feel the way he was feeling. He seemed like quite the selfless friend to the rest of his group and of all the people he mentioned, he probably got the least time to talk about his own problems, always focused on someone else's story. "What were you selfish about?"

"I wanted to tell Toko that he was right about him forcing me into this position. I wanted, for once, to not have to take the weight of my actions on my shoulders... I wanted to talk with my friends without feeling envious of how they could talk without a care in the world..." Shouji couldn't stop himself as he whispered, "I wish I was on their level."

Beni hadn't expected the questioning to take this turn, seeing the weight of his frustrations clear in Shouji's eyes as the taller boy looked towards her, his eyes dimmed with confusion and a sense of guilt. He didn't want to feel the way he did, he didn't want to cause any trouble and yet it all seemed to be seeping out to a point where he couldn't hold it back.

"I think it's truly unfair," Beni started, "Truly unfair that you seem to have taken on everyone's burdens with no care for your own wants or needs. It's not healthy," she explained. "I will admit, it is your fault in the end that you chose to come to this internship, regardless of how Tokoyami may, or may not, have sold you on the choice. But your emotions and feelings are important as well. That's why Tokoyami approached you yesterday morning, he saw a friend in need."

She glanced up at the clock. Almost ten in the morning. They'd started this conversation over an hour ago. "You tried to confide in your friend Midoriya, which shows you trust him and that's a great step forwards. But you're also jealous of the relationship that he seems to have with Tokoyami, at least that's what I'm gathering from how you wanted them to stop talking the night before."

Shouji nodded tensely.

"Alright, one more question, then I'll let you go. What is it that you want from your friends? They are both reaching out to you, but you've got to let them both in if you want to have that friendship you're envious of. It sounds like Tokoyami and Midoriya have known each other for longer, so they're more familiar with each other as well, so perhaps you just need to be upfront and honest with them."

"It's complicated," Shouji countered awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. She noticed that blush from before returning on the tips of his mask, and thinking back to what he told her, something seemed to click into place.

"Is it because you like one of them?" She asked out of the blue.

Shouji's eyes widened in sheer surprise, his entire body tensing up as he stammered a, "What gave you that idea?" We're just friends!"

Beni rolled her eyes. "Just then, you blushed. You can see it faintly on the tips of your mask. Look Shouji, surely you can tell them the truth without telling them the whole truth. Just omit the part about the crush or whatever it is you're feeling and focus on everything else." With that, she pushed herself up from the break room sofa, leaving Shouji somewhat flabbergasted. "Anyway, I have to get back to work. I'd go talk to Tokoyami, he should be near Canal City since most of the shops on the list sent him there."

Shouji gave a nod, speeding past her for the elevator in an attempt to get out of the room before she asked any more questions. But then...

"We do want you here, Shouji," Beni called out. "In a team, confiding and figuring things out is a process you go through to become stronger. For as long as you're here, I'm happy to listen and help you out with that crush of yours in any way I can," She giggled, much to Shouji's utter horror. "But first, I'd try patching up your friendships, then think about the fun stuff afterwards."

"Yeah, I'm leaving," Shouji announced, walking into the now open elevator, though not before muttering a, "Thank you though Beni. This helped."

"Anytime!"


	55. Canal City? The Cat Cafe?

**Chapter 55 - Canal City!? The Cat Cafe!?**

The hustle and bustle of early morning traffic and commuters making their way to work was the bulk of the sounds Tokoyami was listening to as he walked down the street towards Canal City, hoping to get there before it hit noon and all the shoppers and tourists came out to browse the shops. Glancing down at the list Beni had given him, he couldn't help but groan. He knew most of the stores that sold these items as they'd bought some wares for Beni the previous day, but they were spread out across the complex.

And of course the one-time Shouji would be indispensable as far as locating the right shops and navigating the crowds went, she had chosen to hold him back at the Agency.

 **"You're both idiots,"** Dark Shadow muttered, hanging lazily off of Tokoyami's shoulder, the size of a large marble.

"Rude," Tokoyami muttered under his breath, glaring daggers at his Quirk, who had been talking out of turn all morning.

It was very clear to Tokoyami that Dark Shadow was very much irritated by what happened between the pair the night before. Though Tokoyami had to admit, he wasn't even sure what to make of the events of the previous evening himself. Dark Shadow clearly knew something that he didn't, or else he'd be just as clueless as Tokoyami was in that moment.

 **"Izuku and Kouda would sort you both out,"** Dark Shadow grumbled once more in a lamenting tone.

"Well, neither of them are here, are they," Tokoyami snapped silently, pushing past a few crowds until he could finally see Canal City in the distance. "And I know that you know something I don't, Dark Shadow."

The accusing tone was not lost on Dark Shadow, who folded his arms and looked away, muttering, **"It's not my place to discuss that information. That's up to Shouji."**

Tokoyami rolled his eyes. "Hypocrite," He bitterly chucked out at his Quirk. "Ever the nosey one but unwilling to talk when people want you to."

 **"It's for your own good,"** Dark Shadow replied, the Quirk retracting towards the shadow that Tokoyami's feathers were casting. The morning sun was a little too strong for him at the moment. **"Can you two just make up next time you see each other? The tension in your head gives me migraines."**

"I do not even know what I have done to upset him, Dark Shadow," Tokoyami groaned, thinking back to the night before. Sure, he was feeling guilty about forcing Shouji into an internship he might not have wanted, but Shouji wasn't the type to hold back what he wanted to say so if he wasn't enjoying himself, he'd say it. Shouji's silence spoke more words than they probably could have shared that evening.

 **"If it helps, you didn't do anything,"** Dark Shadow consoled. **"You're still an idiot though."**

"As insightful as ever," Tokoyami bit back, pointing to a map of Canal City that was sitting on a wall nearby. "Now help me find those stores we went to yesterday."

Canal City in the morning was still just as much of a rush as it was during the afternoon, though with the lunch rush not yet underway and stores having just restocked, it was the best time to go out and buy what he needed for Beni. Perhaps he could use this as recon training or something. Goodness knows, after two Patrols and a distracted mentor, he needed something to do that was about being a Hero.

They located their first shop, a mechanic's paradise. A place filled to the brim with metal sheets on shelves, tools hanging from racks and a quirky looking woman at the counter who reminded him far too much of that Support Course student, Mei, from the Sport's Festival. He quickly headed inside the store's many aisles, looking for whatever sheets of metal he could find while wondering why on earth a place like this was set up in Canal City.

He imagined that only Heroes would really need access to this sort of equipment so close to their agencies.

 **"That's the one Beni wants,"** Dark Shadow pointed out, his dark claws gesturing towards a rather shiny pile of metal that seemed futuristic for lack of a better term. Like the outside of a spaceship in an old horror movie.

Tokoyami grabbed it, along with a few simple tools that Beni had also listed, before heading back to the counter. The woman's eyes lighted up at his presence, gushing about how he looked in his Hero uniform when they had stopped by the day before, wishing him a good day as he left. Scratch his original thoughts, she was a nice woman compared to Mei.

For most of the stores he had been to the day before, he got the same reactions. Apparently, Beni was a popular customer and he wasn't exactly surprised by this information, seeing as her job revolved around coming up with new gadgets and plans for local Heroes. "Don'tcha know, she works for all the local Heroes around here from time to time," One of the cashiers had stated fondly. "If a Hero's got tech in Fukuoka, it's probably a Benzaiten build!"

He was surprised that by around ten-fifteen, he had almost collected all the stuff on the list. He'd only been out for around an hour or so.

He was so preoccupied with crossing off the items he'd just bought from his list that he failed to watch where he was going, slamming straight into something tough as he exited the store he was in, the bell on the door chiming as he felt a bag or two drop from his grip.

"Sorry about tha-" His voice caught in his throat though as he glanced up at the person he'd hit, surprised to see Hawks of all people staring back at him. "Hawks!?"

"Oh, it's you," The older man stated in a chilled manner. "Didn't realize they were making someone with your skill set play errand boy."

Tokoyami shook his head slightly, moving to pick up some of the fallen bags as he replied, "I do not mind. It's a Hero's job to help out in any way you can, after all."

"Oh, of course. I'm not trying to talk down the tasks they're making you do or anything, kid. But I imagine you're on this internship for more than just patrols and shopping." Hawks grinned, reaching a hand down to grab the last bag from the floor while Tokoyami was struggling with the four he was already trying to balance. "Where's your friend? Wouldn't his multiple arms be of assistance here?"

 **"Probably annoyed at you,"** Dark Shadow muttered under his breath, just low enough for Hawks to not pick up on it. Tokoyami heard it loud and clear, however.

"Benzaiten wanted him to remain at the Agency. I am unsure as to why," Tokoyami admitted.

Hawks shrugged. "Oh well, it's probably for the best. If they think he can't handle errand work, it's safest to keep him in view at all times."

Tokoyami could feel Dark Shadow's irritation spike in that instant, the bird-headed boy actually doing a double-take at Hawks' words. That was a direct insult towards his classmate and friend. And yet...

"What makes you think he can't handle errand work?" Tokoyami asked, trying to keep his tone in check. He was glad he had good composure over his emotions.

"Oh, that?" Hawks replied. "He's a liability, is all."

 **"Excuse me?"** Dark Shadow snapped, forming in his normal-sized state to glare at the Pro standing before them, Tokoyami's eyes widening at his Quirk's reaction as he quickly set to reign him in.

"Control your Quirk," Hawks muttered quietly, now taking a few steps down the canal. "You're making a scene."

"Dark Shadow, calm yourself," Tokoyami muttered, trailing behind Hawks by a few steps as he tried to talk to his Quirk in private.

 **"But aren't you angry! He! Is! Insulting! Shouji!"**

Tokoyami clenched his fist, shopping bags rustling as he did so. "Of course I am angry," He hissed. "But this is not the time, nor the place, for you to be picking a fight with the third most influential Hero in Japan! And while we're having this conversation, how the hell did you know that Hawks was bothering Shouji?"

 **"Heard him on the phone with Midoriya last night while you were drying off, idiot,"** Dark Shadow retorted vitriolically. **"You think I'm starting this fight for fun? Shouji feels like shit because Hawks wouldn't give him the time of da-"**

"Are you done talking to your Quirk, because I can't carry this bag forever, you know," Hawks announced loudly, rustling the bag in his hands as the two turned to stare at him awkwardly.

"We were just _finishing_ up," Tokoyami said through clenched teeth, walking over to grab the bag from Hawks unceremoniously. "I apologize for his actions. I was too lenient."

 _ **"Too lenient, my ass!?"**_ Dark Shadow thought angrily.

 _"You want me to say, oh yeah, I think the way you're acting is harsh and, by the way, you're an asshole?"_ Tokoyami snapped back through their thoughts.

 ** _"YES!? Finally, we agree on something!"_**

Tokoyami didn't even dignify that thought with a response, turning to Hawks as the Pro watched the pair out of the corner of his eye. He wasn't prepared then, for Hawks to continue his prior thoughts. "If your friend wants to become a real Hero, he needs to let go of whatever he is holding on to," Hawks stated suddenly.

Tokoyami froze, glancing up at the Pro Hero with a look of uncertainty. But he found himself unable to reply to the Pro. Because he knew deep down that Hawks was right about Shouji needing to let go of his past, no matter how tough it may feel. Whatever had happened to Shouji, he had yet to come to terms with those events.

"Without those insecurities that will plague his every action, he'd be up there with you in terms of skill," Hawks continued, gesturing into the sky. "I'm not trying to insult your friend, I'm just saying it as it is." Hawks shrugged once more. "I guess the best way to put it, he needs to chill out."

"C-Chill out?" Tokoyami stammered.

"Yeah, chill out. Relax. It's my goal to make sure Heroes have more free time than they know what to do with and it seems like your friend needs some free time to do some soul searching. He could be a great Hero, but he's created his own obstacle to overcome." Hawks turned away at that, letting out a sigh. "Wish I had some free time to relax myself actually. Can't say I'd normally have accepted this sort of job, but I owe Hayate my career. I'd much rather be doing leisurely patrols."

"Isn't that what you're doing now, though?" Tokoyami asked before he could stop himself.

Hawks glanced back, an amused grin on his face. "Yeah, I guess it is. Look, I know you're not happy with me since I insulted your best friend or whatever, but take this from someone at the top. He needs to shed that pain of his, whatever it is. Speaking of which..."

Hawks raised an arm and pointed straight at Tokoyami, no wait, Tokoyami could see his eyes were focused behind him.

Spinning around, he noticed the familiarly large form of Shouji wading through the crowds, though as the taller boy realized just who Tokoyami was standing with, his speed seemed to slow and his body seemed to tense. He was approaching like a wounded deer walking straight into the lion's den. And at that moment Tokoyami could see exactly what Hawks was seeing - What was holding his friend back.

"Well Tsukuyomi, it's been fun," Hawks announced loudly. "I've gotta patrol the beachfront, give some thought to what I said today, alright?" It only took a moment for Hawks to push off from the ground then, the force causing small shockwaves to ripple through the plastic bags Tokoyami was holding.

Though Tokoyami's focus was on his friend before him, who was looking extremely nervous, a little conflicted and unsure of where to start. "How about we get this errand done first, then we can talk over some lunch?" Tokoyami finally suggested, choosing to break the silence before it got too heavy. "Beni never said when we had to get the errand done by, it should be fine."

"That might be for the best," Shouji admitted, at least speaking to him now. That was an improvement over a few hours ago.

* * *

They weren't exactly sure how they ended up there, but a half hour later they were sitting in a rather dark corner of a cat cafe, having noticed it was surprisingly quiet in the back as most of the cats settled at the front of the building. Most of the main restaurants were filled up and Dark Shadow had been complaining about sitting outside thanks to the sun, so the cat cafe it was.

Tokoyami sat on one seat, Shouji opposite, both with a different tea in their hands. Tokoyami had gone for an apple tea, while Shouji was going with a traditional green tea blend. And it was extremely awkward for the pair of them.

 **"So who wants to go first?"** Dark Shadow mediated, his yellow eyes glaring between them.

"I will," Tokoyami stated, raising his hand slowly. "I should start by saying I'm aware of your feelings about Hawks. Dark Shadow was eavesdropping on your conversation with Midoriya last night and didn't tell me until after we ran into Hawks earlier."

Said Quirk merely huffed and looked indignantly at the pair, while Shouji somberly nodded at that information. "That makes things easier, I guess."

"You're really that torn up about how Hawks views you?" Tokoyami asked gingerly.

Shouji nodded, glancing at a cat that had chosen to rub up against his leg as he spoke. "He's the Number Three Hero, Toko. He has the power to make or break a Hero career with his words alone."

"That's true, but I think he's trying to help in his own way," Tokoyami explained, recounting the cconversationhe had just had with Hawks to Shouji, who listened intently, sipping his green tea and attempted to keep his composure, though Tokoyami could see it in his eyes. He was affected. "...So that's the whole story. According to him, you're holding yourself back."

"I can't say I disagree with his assessment," The taller boy admitted, grimacing through his mask. "Beni told me the same thing."

"You had a talk with Beni?" Tokoyami asked.

"Yeah, she pulled me into the break room," He explained, going into detail and recounting his own chat with Beni. He brought up how she felt he was taking on everyone's burdens and focusing on other people's problems while neglecting his own health and issues, though he left out the small bit of teasing Beni had thrown his way at the end. This wasn't about his feelings for Toko, this was about helping to mend their friendship and move forwards.

 **"So your past..."** Dark Shadow muttered. **"...Everyone else believes it's holding you back."**

"That's right," Shouji stated.

Tokoyami folded his hands together and leaned forwards slightly. "Shouji... I don't want to force you to say anything you don't want to say," Tokoyami said quietly. "You're my friend and our friendship comes first. But at the same time, you've done so much for us..."

Tokoyami couldn't meet his friend's eyes as he continued to speak, feeling a slight flush of embarrassment underneath his feathers. "...For me."

"I only did what any friend would do, Toko," Shouji began, but was cut off as Tokoyami shook his head vigorously.

"Stop that! That's exactly what you do, Shouji! You're almost as bad as Midoriya when it comes to taking the credit for stuff and you're both just as awful as each other. You've done so much for me as a friend and I've not been able to do anything back. Even if it's just to listen to your stress and give you somewhere to vent... You told me at USJ that you'd be there to listen. But I don't want that..."

"Toko..."

"I want us to listen to each other, not have it be some one-sided conversation where only I seem to benefit. I want you to feel like you can talk to me. You've talked to Dark Shadow in private before, like at the Sport's Festival, but not to me."

Shouji could already feel Dark Shadow's teasing gaze on him at the reminder of **that** conversation they had.

"And last night you talked to Midoriya in private about these feelings you've been having and I just..." Tokoyami was rambling now, a trait he'd picked up from Midoriya. He could have sworn he was a man of few words prior to meeting all these people. "...It shows I'm not doing enough to support you like a real friend should!"

"Toko, that's so far from the truth!" Shouji snapped back, the cat by his legs skittering away at his sudden outburst. A few glances from the other patrons got him to lower his voice, albeit embarrassingly. "You've done nothing but support me."

"But not in the ways you need," Tokoyami replied somberly. "I care about you Shouji, and that means you can come to me if you've got worries or troubles... We let it get to this point where it all boiled over."

Shouji was silent for a minute, taking a brief sip of his tea before nodding to his friend. "I-I trust you, Toko... So I've made up my mind."

"Hmm?" Tokoyami seemed confused, Dark Shadow leaning forwards wondering whether this was going to be _the_ moment.

Shouji took a deep breath, calming the shaking of his hands as he whispered, "Tonight... Back at the hotel... I'll tell you why I wear this mask."

"S-Shouji..."

"I think if I tell someone, I'll be able to face the music. And I trust you."

Fumikage was stunned, feeling the already heated up feathers on his face burst into full-on flames.

 **"What about me?"**

"You too Dark Shadow."


	56. Friendship Mended? Out on Patrol?

**Chapter 56 - Friendship Mended!? Out on Patrol!?**

The rest of their lunch at the cat cafe was quite pleasant, Tokoyami had to admit. After airing out all the emotions between them, with Shouji's promise still lingering on the back of his mind, they found themselves relaxing in the quaint little tea shop with various cats coming to say hello. Dark Shadow had gotten very attached to a small black kitten and as they were leaving, Tokoyami had to force his Quirk to not attempt to shoplift the adorable balls of fluff, much to Shouji's amusement.

The walk back to the Airdriver Agency was quiet and reflective as they gave each other some time to think about what had been said. Tokoyami's mind was flicking through their conversation, a tingling tension dwelling underneath his skin that seemed to electrify him as he walked. _"Tonight... Back at the hotel... I'll tell you why I wear this mask."_

A mystery that had been everpresent since he met his friend and finally he was going to know the truth, to satiate his curiosity and hopefully enable Shouji to begin the process of healing from those memories that seemed to linger like a raincloud.

And on the flipside of the coin, Shouji couldn't help but think about how good his friends were. Tokoyami had spun his own words from the USJ against him and offered his support, Midoriya had expressed his belief in Shouji the night before, he imagined if Kouda and Uraraka were here, they would have done the same. In fact, his entire class would probably have supported him had they known, even Bakugou.

Perhaps it was okay to allow himself a moment of weakness if only to grow even stronger from it in the process.

When they arrived at the Agency, they stepped out of the elevator to a cheerful Beni, who was humming away as she worked on a set of blueprints for her work. Glancing up, her brown eyes lighting up through her glasses as she saw the two together, clearly in much better spirits than before. "You're back!"

"We're back," Tokoyami nodded, holding some of the plastic bags towards her as she stumbled away from her desk to hurry over to the pair. "We made sure to collect everything on the list."

"You wouldn't believe how hard some of these materials were to track," Shouji grumbled, glancing down at Tokoyami as he said, "This one would've been hopeless without me there."

Tokoyami span around dramatically, "Excuse me, I was doing just fine before you arrived." With his hands now free as Beni took the bags from him, he was now staring Shouji down, hands on hips, very much ready to debate with his friend.

Shouji snorted. "If you call bumping into the Number Three Hero and dropping your bags just fine, I'll take your word for it."

"Wha- You- Shouji!?"

Beni couldn't help but roll her eyes at their antics, glad to see that it was like nothing had happened between the pair. She could tell when they first walked in that they'd make a great team one day, so seeing them upset with each other had left her wanting to help out as much as possible.

Though it was often crazy seeing how quickly people of their age could fix their friendships with a few words and some talking. The older you got, the harder it seemed to be to patch up old rivalries and friendships, a lesson they would be sure to learn as they grew. But for now, she let them bicker amongst themselves. They may be Pro Heroes, but they were students as well and teenagers to boot.

"Ah, you two are back," A familiar gruff voice called out, the two boys pausing in their debate as they span around to see Hayate looking at them from his office door. "I was waiting."

Beni was already up and moving towards Airdriver with concern, "Shouldn't you be resting, you've been up all night, Sir," she exclaimed.

"Bah, I'm a Pro Hero Beni. I've had to stay up for days without sleep before. I think I know when I'm in need of rest," He explained sternly, waving Beni's attempts to help him away as he walked towards the pair, Hero costume on. "Well, what are you both waiting for? Put your costumes on, we're going on patrol!"

"R-Right!" The pair stammered, rushing off to the changing rooms as fast as they could.

Beni, though, was standing behind him with a disapproving look on her face. "You really shouldn't be pushing yourself given the circumstances."

"All I'm doing is patrolling with my interns, that can hardly be considered a draining activity," He replied. "This is a good time for me to set an example and teach them a valuable lesson."

Beni furrowed her brow in confusion. "What lesson is that?"

He gave a half-hearted chuckle before replying, "That even when times are tough, you must carry on. As a Hero, we are role models for those around us. All Might is a prime example of this as a symbol of peace. The public places their trust in us to protect them, so we must do what we can as well."

Beni gave an exasperated sigh as she walked back over to her workbench, grabbing a wrench as she did so. "I know, I know..." She sat back down, before glancing up at him, a genuine smile on her face. "Just don't push yourself Hayate. You can't protect anyone if you work too hard."

"I know, I know," He relented, holding his arms up in mock defeat. "You'll never let me live it down otherwise."

* * *

That day, Airdriver had decided to take them down towards the beachfront, seeing as it was the time of year where the beaches were full of visitors who all wanted nothing more than to relax on whatever holidays or days off they had. Tokoyami couldn't help but grimace as they walked along one of the beach fronts, feeling the rays of the sun on his cloak and on the back of his neck.

He glanced over at Shouji who was watching the area with his various eyes, fairly relaxed in comparison to Tokoyami thanks to his much more well-fitting costume that, while somewhat... skin-tight, was more fitting for humid environments.

"Remind me never to sign up for anything in a desert," He grumbled aloud.

Airdriver glanced back, brow raised through his mask as he stated, "You'll be able to handle hotter temperatures if you increase your stamina. You really need to start adding daily training exercises to your regimen."

 **"Bahaha, everyone keeps saying that, right Fumi,"** Dark Shadow squawked, lightly tapping the back of the now irritated and embarrassed Fumikage. **"Seriously, it's crazy how much he doesn't work out."**

"Can you be quiet, you wretch," Tokoyami growled, Dark Shadow giving a light shrug as he settled back under Fumikage's cloak.

"Dark Shadow is certainly a lot more lively nowadays," Hayate commented offhandedly.

Tokoyami glanced to his cloak, where his Quirk was listening. "We've been working on our bond over the few months. We had our differences and he still enjoys riling me up, but we have reached a point where I am comfortable with him acting on his own for smaller tasks."

Hayate turned back to face ahead. "That's good. With sentient Quirks, if the user and the Quirk are incompatible or unable to work together, it becomes a disaster waiting to happen."

"Though Dark Shadow is quite the eavesdropper, mind you," Shouji chimed in, folding one of his arms as he glanced back at Tokoyami, or more accurately, at Tokoyami's cloak.

Dark Shadow poked his head out, sticking out a spectral tongue at the Hero. **"If it was anyone else, I'd argue with them, but 'cuz it's you Shouji, I'll let this one slide."**

"You get along with Shouji, Dark Shadow?" Airdriver asked as he came to a stop near a large stretch of beach.

 **"Oh yeah, we have some great conversations when Fumikage's not listening. He tells me a lot of interesting things,"** Dark Shadow blatantly teased, Shouji now giving him various evil eyes from his many eyes he had formed, much to the Quirk's amusement.

"It's good to see you trusting other humans," Airdriver shrugged. "You didn't trust me one bit, even after finishing up my training with you and Fumikage."

 **"That's because in our last training session you slammed us into a tree after letting Fumi think we'd made it out of the forest."**

"Wait, you knew what he was planning that day?" Tokoyami said, now staring wide-eyed at his Quirk.

 **"Yup."**

"And it never crossed your mind to tell me his plan?"

 **"Nope."**

Tokoyami was speechless, not even sure how to form his frustration in words. So instead he just raised his arms, lowered them and huffed, looking away indignantly.

It was at that moment that they heard a cry.

"Help, that man stole my purse!" A woman's voice cried out, the group turning to see a dark haired woman pointing towards a rather uncouth looking dishevelled man, who was rushing away with a large red purse.

And before either of them could react, Airdriver had lurched forwards towards the woman, calling out quickly, "Go check if the woman is hurt, I'll catch the thief!"

Shouji rushed over to the long-haired woman, quickly helping the lady to her feet as she looked out towards where the fleeing thief was running. Tokoyami was right behind Shouji, but his eyes were on his teacher, who had leapt forwards and pushed his arms towards the ground.

For a moment, Airdriver was simply running, then a massive burst of familiar air shot from his gauntlets towards the ground, lurching him up into the air. Experienced in the art of flying through the air, Tokoyami watched as the man raised his gauntlets and boots, using their fans to hover at fast speeds towards the thief. The man, glancing back, ducked just as Airdriver sailed overhead, pushing back up as the dark-haired Hero slammed into the ground twelve paces ahead of him.

Airdriver was smiling underneath his mask, an unnerving grin that served to cause the thief some duress as he backed up slightly, muttering, "Why'd I have to run into a Hero, damnit?"

"You haven't run into any old Hero, you've run straight into the arms of the Cyclone Hero, Airdriver." And before the thief could reply, Airdriver raised one of his gauntlets to the air, as if he were raising a hand to answer a question.

Tokoyami knew exactly what was coming, stating quickly, "Brace yourselves!"

Shouji and the woman barely had any time to react when Airdriver slammed his gauntlet downwards in an arc towards the ground, a sudden gust of wind bursting from the mechanical gloves in a cutting motion. The thief could only watch on helplessly, unable to react in time as the wind sliced into his chest, the impact causing the man to cry out in pain.

If he tried to hold his ground, it didn't seem he was having any luck as the man's feet slipped into the air, flying back from the force of the attack straight towards the group. Though Tokoyami was aware of the attack, he was slightly reeling from the wind and couldn't react to grab the man.

"Got him!" Shouji's voice called out, the boy raising his arms to catch the speeding man with a large thud. Shouji skidded back a few paces from the sudden weight of the attack, but his grip remained firm as the man fell unconscious in his arms. Shouji was breathing heavy from the force of the attack, but still picked the purse up from the man's still body, Dark Shadow appearing to grab it, passing it to the woman.

"Are you alright?" Tokoyami asked quickly, looking the woman over to see if she was alright. Aside from her dark hair being somewhat messed up from the wind blast, she looked alright, glancing at him with warm blue eyes and a surprised look.

 **"Your purse, Madam,"** Dark Shadow explained, the woman giving a relieved smile as she saw her belongings, making to grab it from Dark Shadow. Just the faintest brush of his dark matter against her hand, however, and Tokoyami felt Dark Shadow tense up considerably, from surprise perhaps? She grabbed her purse, retracting her hand with a grateful smile, but Dark Shadow didn't react back to her.

Before Tokoyami could say a word about the odd exchange, the loud voice of Airdriver called out, "Are you doing alright, Miss?"

"Y-Yes," She muttered with a high pitched voice. "T-Thank you for h-helping me," She stammered.

It was then that the group noticed a small crowd was beginning to form on the pavement around them, a few officers racing over as well, having heard the commotion. "Is everything alright?" A young male officer asked, looking around at the situation before him.

Airdriver nodded. "Everything is fine. I was just taking my two U.A. interns here on patrol and we happened upon this thief trying to steal this Lady's purse," He explained, motioning to the unconscious man in Shouji's arms. "Do you think you can handle him from here?"

"Of course," The officer nodded, not questioning this situation at all. This was probably a common occurrence then.

"Wow, that student with the arms was able to withstand the force of Airdriver's signature Air Slash," A kid called out excitedly. "He's a cool Hero!"

"And look at that one with the bird head! He's got a cute pet too, that looks awesome!"

At that, Dark Shadow snapped out of his stupor to zip over to the young child who made that comment, growling, **"I am not his pet!"** Though the little boy didn't seem intimidated, instead reaching out and poking Dark Shadow, who could only blink in surprise at this little child manhandling him like he was a trained animal.

"Okay, time to come back now Dark Shadow," Tokoyami mumbled through clenched teeth, hoping to whatever was out there that his Quirk would listen.

 **"But the brat just poke-"**

"Dark Shadow," Tokoyami warned, putting on his stern look as his Quirk finally relented with an over-dramatic sigh, slipping back under his cloak.

Glancing to Shouji, the tall boy was handing the unconscious man to the police, while Airdriver was giving a young female officer a more in-depth explanation as to what happened. Though as he went to check on the woman once more, he was surprised to see that in the chaos she had vanished. Perhaps she didn't enjoy all the attention or had somewhere to get to?

"Ah, where did she go?" Airdriver asked casually, Tokoyami shrugging. "No matter, the situation is resolved and a criminal is under arrest.

Though as he said that, the media arrived a moment later, having heard about the brief attack and, naturally, Airdriver forced Tokoyami and Shouji into what was, in his opinion, the most uncomfortable interview of his life. He was left standing there awkwardly with Shouji as Airdriver explained the situation so casually to the reporters, while they chimed in every now and then when the story got to them. Eventually though, the media finished the interview and they were released.

As the crowds began to disperse, Airdriver turned to the pair, "You'll have to get used to being interviewed. Tentacole, you did well enough, Tsukuyomi, work on your people skills a bit more."

"Your power is amazing, Airdriver," Shouji commented, while Tokoyami was dwelling on the advice he was given. "I've caught objects like that before, but the force behind your strike..."

"Was enough to incapacitate whoever it hit, yes. It is my Air Slash ability."

"It hits like a truck," Tokoyami chimed in, still remembering the marks he'd get on his body during training, red streaks across his pale skin. "Still, that wasn't a very strong attack he used on the thief."

"It wasn't!?" Shouji replied in shock.

Airdriver chuckled at that. "Right, right, Fumikage here has been on the receiving end of my Air Slashes more than once and certainly more powerful variations than the one used on that thief. As long as you do the right training, you can endure quite the amount of pain before your body gives in. I taught Fumikage this during our training."

"That's incredible," Shouji muttered, turning to regard his friend in a new light. Shouji couldn't help but be surprised by Tokoyami every time he discovered something new, while Tokoyami was just beginning to realize how intense his training with Airdriver had to have been if Shouji struggled with such a weak blast from the Cyclone Hero.

* * *

The rest of their afternoon was blessedly quieter than their incursion at the beach, with the trio headed back to the Hotel as the sun had begun to set. Only this time, everything was feeling a little more positive compared to their last excursion with Airdriver. Without that rigid awkwardness about Midoriya, they had seemingly had fun while patrolling and found enjoyment in the community.

Much to Hayate's delight, Tokoyami had even found it among himself to participate in a few tourist's selfies. And Shouji had helped out, even taking a few selfies of his own. He was glad to see them enjoying themselves whilst learning about what it took to be more approachable. He'd make a Hero out of Tokoyami yet.

"Be at the office for eleven tomorrow," Hayate called as he left the two boys by the hotel. "We'll do another patrol through the city's outskirts!"

With that, Airdriver sped off down the street, probably to ensure he was okay to Beni, leaving the two boys outside the hotel, that sudden nervousness beginning to affect Tokoyami as he remembered what Shouji had promised.

"Do you mind if I grab a drink from the store first?" Shouji finally asked, taking a deep breath. "I think I'll need some time to mentally prepare myself."

"Of course," Tokoyami nodded, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'll be waiting upstairs."

"Thanks, Toko," Shouji smiled, pulling away ever so slowly to head over to the store, while Tokoyami turned to the hotel.

Just like the day before, he headed upstairs, entered their room and grabbed some apple pocky sticks from the snacks they hadn't eaten the night before, glad that Shouji seemed to know him so well. He didn't bother to shower or change just yet, not wanting to be doing something when Shouji got back, so he sat down and he waited.

Though down at the store, Shouji was just paying for his drinks. He'd bought a fizzy apple drink for Tokoyami, as well as his own carbonated drink, but as he stepped out onto the pavement, he noticed the sun had already set in the sky. It was turning from evening to night, he'd spent a little too long choosing his drinks and as he glanced up at the hotel, he couldn't help but take a few deep breaths.

What he was going to reveal, what he had promised to tell, they were memories that he'd chosen to block out for a reason. No matter how trivial they might seem to someone else, to him they had caused him immense emotional strain.

This was going to be a rough night. But with Toko helping him...

He felt his heart flutter slightly at the thought of his friend supporting him through what was about to come. And with a sudden burst of courage, he walked forwards towards the hotel.

He was so enthralled by his own confidence that he failed to notice someone walking past, accidentally bumping into them with a loud thud. Whoever it was slipped backwards, landing on the ground in the alley between the store and the hotel with a thud.

"I-I'm so sorry, are you alright?" He asked, moving towards the person he'd knocked over, seeing that it was a familiar looking woman with dark black hair that seemed messed up by the wind and a pair of warm blue eyes that looked up at him in surprise. "Oh, you're the woman from the beach."

As he pulled her up, she looked up at him gratefully and smiled. "T-Thank you s-so much for your h-help earlier," She stammered nervously, looking down at the ground, than back to him, despite being almost his height.

"Oh, that was no problem. Just doing our job," Shouji brushed off. "Anyway, I need to get back to my friend, the one that was with me earlier."

"The boy with the raven-head?" The woman asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Mhm," Shouji muttered, sensing in the back of his mind that something seemed slightly off. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, thank you," She bowed. "

Shouji gave her a warm smile. "Alright then, have a good night then, Miss." Still feeling like something was off, he turned away from her to head back into the hotel, though before he could fully turn around, he realized with a sudden jolt what was bothering him. "You're sure you're alright?" He asked once more.

The woman looked at him quizzically as he asked this, clearly a little confused as she replied, "Yes, I'm completely fine. Is something wrong?"

"Actually..." He muttered, "I was just wondering what happened to your stammer."

"My stammer?" She asked, her eyes widening as she realized what he meant. And for a split second, those warm blue eyes turned ever so cold and calculating. Enough to tell Shouji to get out of there now.

"It's fine, sorry to bother you, I really have to go-" He exclaimed, taking a few steps back towards the light of the street.

The darkness of the alley was really beginning to unnerve him and it was clear that this woman was the source of it all. But as he took another step back, that's when it happened.

The sudden pain that shot through his neck as he felt something crack into the back of his skull caused him to soundlessly cry out in pain, eyes bulging from the intensity of the strike. Had someone gotten behind him? She hadn't moved an inch so how...?

He slumped forwards to his knees, his senses blurred and distorted, his and Toko's drinks spilling to the floor and clattering open as the woman walked up to him ever so slowly, drawing out a knife from her back-pocket, moving towards him with malicious intent.

Then he felt it.

The slice on one of his dupli-arms burned as she twisted the knife across the skin, blood spilling from the wound. The pain was intense and he couldn't help but wince in pain, unable to really feel a thing from the blow to the head, unable to scream out as his voice wouldn't call out.

And then she was writing something on the wall, next to the hotel. A message of some sort in... in his blood. He wanted to vomit, he felt nauseous but more than that, the pain was really beginning to get to him. She turned around, grabbed him by the scruff of his Costume and looked to the alley.

That was when his world spun to darkness and he passed into the realm of unconsciousness.


	57. Tokoyami's Pain? Identity Revealed?

**Chapter 57 - Tokoyami's Pain!? Identity Revealed!?**

Tokoyami's fingers were lightly tapping impatiently against the dresser next to his bed as he glanced down at his phone for the twelfth time. It had been a good twenty minutes since he'd headed up to the hotel room and Shouji had still not gotten back from the store. He knew Shouji was nervous about what he wanted to discuss and probably needed to psyche himself up, but the raven-headed boy couldn't help the concern that seemed to bubble in his stomach.

 **"You know we could go check on him,"** Dark Shadow deadpanned from beside Tokoyami, the Quirk curled up next to him, eyes glinting as he looked his user in the eye.

"It has been enough time that he should have arrived by now," Tokoyami muttered more to himself. "Though if he is preparing himself mentally and we interrupt him, would that not be counter-productive?"

 **"I doubt he's going to get upset because you wondered where he was,"** Dark Shadow grumbled.

"I'm sure he'll be here in a few minutes," Tokoyami replied, though he wasn't sure if he believed his own words. He couldn't help but feel like something had happened. Shouji was a man of his word and didn't take this long the night before to buy snacks. He was only getting a single drink this time, after all.

Dark Shadow rose from his spot to stare straight at Tokoyami, who backed up against the wall behind him in surprise. **"Fumikage. I know you're worried, stop trying to hide it. Let's go,"** Dark Shadow motioned, snaking over to the door in a forceful manner.

With a resigned sigh, Tokoyami gave in, hopping off of the bed, still in his costume as he followed his Quirk to the door. They quickly headed down to the lobby, not seeing any sign of Shouji as they headed down the stairwells, nor by the elevators leading up. He quickly scanned the lobby itself, hoping that Shouji had just taken a seat in one of the many seating areas to prepare himself, but he wasn't there.

"Let's check the store," Tokoyami muttered darkly.

When they opened up the hotel doors, they were greeted by the cool air of late evening, with the sun having already set and the sky now fading to a pitch black. There were streetlamps switching on, which he was grateful for. Feeling this agitated, he wanted to keep near the light so Dark Shadow wouldn't get any ideas.

Tokoyami quickly rushed towards the small convenient store, passing by the alleyway between the two buildings, which seemed to be closing its doors, the owner locking up the front as Tokoyami arrived. That wasn't a good sign that Shouji was still there.

"Excuse me," He called out to the man who ran the store. The older man turned to him, clearly wanting to get home before it got too dark, eye raised as he saw what Tokoyami imagined from his perspective was quite the odd sight of a raven-headed boy in a dark cloak.

"What do you need? The store's closed," The man stated, glancing at the closed shutters, then back to Tokoyami with a tired expression.

"Actually, I wanted to know if my friend was in your store a few minutes ago. He wears a mask over his lower face, has six arms, said he went to buy drinks." Tokoyami couldn't help but worry now, Shouji was nowhere in sight and he hadn't passed him on the way from the hotel room to here. It wasn't like Shouji to just vanish.

A brief look of recognition flashed across the older man's face as he nodded, "Yeah, he was in here about ten minutes ago. When he left, he turned towards the hotel." The older man's brow furrowed though as he noticed Tokoyami was beginning to breathe ever so heavy, a tension in the air. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes," Tokoyami stammered, taking a step back. "Thank you, I must have just missed him then."

The older man said nothing, giving a half-hearted wave of goodbye before turning in the opposite direction, leaving Tokoyami standing there outside the closed up store.

"Maybe we really did just miss him," Tokoyami admitted, glancing back towards the hotel. "We should check the room again, see if he's ther-" Though as he turned and took a few steps back towards the hotel, that was when his breath caught in his throat.

He hadn't noticed it when walking to the store since he was facing the wall closest to the store, not the hotel, but it was in plain view as he stepped towards the alley that was between the two buildings. His whole body began to tremble as he stepped into the darker part of the alleyway, kicking a few newspaper clippings that sat on the ground as he moved to look at the hotel wall.

Something had been written there.

That was when he noticed, a few steps away, two cans sitting on the paved floor, the contents spilling on to the ground in a syrupy puddle.

"W-What...?" He spat out, glancing down to see his hands trembling ferociously. But those cans could belong to anyone, right? So why was he shaking?

Taking one more step forwards, he was surprised when he felt a slight splash of something on the ground beneath his dark boots he was wearing.

Taking a ragged breath, he glanced downwards, his heart beginning to beat faster, to see something shining in the dim light coming from the street, a dark crimson liquid sitting in a small splatter on the floor.

"B-blood?" He spluttered silently, feeling himself begin to shake violently as his eyes noticed a small trail of blood splatters on the cobbled ground that led to what was written on the hotel wall.

And from there, he was able to make out those horrifying words.

 _'I have your friend. Come to the derelict school on the outskirts of the city, to the south. Come alone or he will pay the price with his life - The Crimson Shadow.'_

Frozen in absolute shock, he stood motionless, shaking violently. The darkness of the alleyway was becoming oppressive, he realized, but his legs wouldn't move. And at that moment, Dark Shadow's mental chains that kept him from going berserk, they were starting to unravel one by one in his head, his cloak beginning to billow from his Quirk's emotions.

He could feel the anger that was coursing through his Quirk, that vitriolic hatred that was beginning to flow through his veins as he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, teeth clenched, beak snapped shut. His Quirk was growling in the back of his mind, the creature that they both knew lay dormant inside of Dark Shadow beginning to emerge.

And then came the whisperings.

 ** _"Let me handle this."_**

Fumikage remembered the last time that Dark Shadow had taken control. Back in USJ, he speared a villain through the chest with his tendrils and terrified Kouda. They had worked out their differences though, went through that whole period of distrust at the Sport's Festival and made it though as a stronger pair. They were a team now, but this...

 ** _"I'll kill anyone who hurts Shouji."_**

His Quirk's hatred was almost like a drug, trying to entrance and ensnare Tokoyami's emotions, and while he wanted nothing more than to just let go and find his friend, to tear whoever did this limb from limb, Dark Shadow would not be able to tell friend from foe and the power would go to his head in an instant. Innocents would be hurt, or worse. He needed to do something or else he'd make a choice he'd regret.

 ** _"Aren't you angry, Fumikage?"_**

Of course he was angry, he was damn well furious. This Crimson Shadow had kidnapped one of his closest friends and, by the looks of things, used Shouji's own blood to write that message, a nauseating concept for the boy to deal with as he slowly raised a hand to his mouth, feeling sickened by everything that he could see. He'd left Shouji alone and this was his fault.

 ** _"This was our fault."_**

This was his fault. He was entirely responsible for this, whoever the Crimson Shadow was wanted to meet him and used Shouji to get through to him. So Shouji was always in danger... This was...

 _ **"We can deal with this."**_

"N-No..." Tokoyami choked out. He could feel tears welling in the corner of his eyes thanks to the sheer intensity of the situation and his Quirk's pressure on his mind but even so... "I-I don't w-want this..." He felt his legs buckled under the pressure, falling to his knees in front of the message, trying desperately to hold on to what little part of his mind remained as his Quirk continued to spread in that darkened alley.

"D-Dark Shadow, please!" He pleaded pitifully, trying to reason with the beast inside of him.

The pressure was too much, the pain was beginning to spread through his entire body. He could feel the darkness beginning to emanate from his own form as he tried desperately to reel in his Quirk, despite the intense horror settling into his head. But he couldn't... He couldn't let this happen.

Tearing himself from his spot on the floor, he forced himself with every ounce of his willpower to move towards the street, racing forwards as his Quirk screamed inside his head to stop, that it wouldn't help.

And then blessed light fell upon him and relieved the pressure on his head. He blinked, allowing himself a moment of clarity to think, to decide, to focus. His Quirk, for the moment, had relented at the brightness of the streetlamps, and Tokoyami's mind cleared of the fog of rage. And what was left was guilt and fear.

Fear is one of the strongest emotions that can be felt. In a way, most people act out of fear in their day to day lives. Why some people choose to walk paths they always take instead of the path less travelled, for example. And in a way, fear made people predictable. Going after the Crimson Shadow, out of the fear of Shouji's death... That was predictable.

He needed a plan. That much he knew. He couldn't help Shouji in this state.

"W-What happened here?" A person's voice called out, though Tokoyami paid them no mind.

"Oh my god!"

"Is that blood?"

"Hey, you in the cloak-"

Tokoyami didn't hear the rest of their sentence as his mind had already decided on a course of action. He was terrified, he was afraid, he was guilty and his Quirk was threatening to cause a riot. But he was still a Hero. And he needed to act like one.

Taking a deep ragged breath, he exhaled and burst into a sprint, running away from the scene towards the people who were there to help. Towards what he hoped was Shouji's rescue.

* * *

By the time Tokoyami had reached Airdriver's Agency, he was beginning to seriously feel the mental strain of keeping his Quirk in check. That uncertainty about Shouji's fate was messing with their heads and while he was putting himself through the ringer regardless of his Quirk's thoughts on the matter, Dark Shadow's anger really wasn't helping.

He pushed open the lobby doors, glancing up at a clock nearby. Ten in the evening. He couldn't afford to take the elevator, he wouldn't be able to sit still, he needed to keep moving, so he quickly pushed past the few workers that were on duty, the woman at the front desk attempting to call out to him in surprise, but he'd be damned if he was stopping to talk. He didn't have the time.

He ascended the stairwell at a break-neck pace, that famous lack of stamina not playing a factor thanks to the adrenaline he was feeling right now. He knew it would hurt in the morning, but he couldn't care less as long as Shouji was safe and back with him. Dark Shadow, despite the vitriol coming from his Quirk, was humming in agreement at wanting Shouji safe.

Finally, he reached the top floor, slamming open the doorway to the Agency with as much force as he could muster.

"Oh thank god," He heard Beni's familiar voice call out, clear relief in her tone. "Hayate, he's here!"

Tokoyami was almost blinded by how light it was in the Agency, definitely lighter than before, but it was only then that he got a glance at Beni, who was quickly moving towards him from the phone by her workbench. There was a definite sense of relief in her eyes, but he could also see the concern etched across her features, her face stuck in a perpetual state of worry as she rested a hand on his shoulder and stated as calmly as possible, "We just got the call from the hotel."

"S-Shouji, the C-Crimson Shadow has Shouji!" He spluttered out, gasping for breath as his intense sprinting finally caught up to him, feeling himself sink to the floor.

"Hayate!?" She called once more, her voice now shrill with fear. "He's going to pass out if we don't get him sat down!"

Said Pro Hero quickly stormed into the room, fully geared up aside from the face mask, instantly rushing to his old student's side. As Tokoyami's eyes glanced up at his former teacher, he could see the sheer weight of the situation in Hayate's sunken eyes. From his perspective, a student had been abducted by the very person he was tasked with bringing in as a Pro Hero. "Fumikage, you need to rest a moment."

"You ran all the way here from the hotel?" Another voice called out in disbelief, Tokoyami glancing to his left to see Hawks leaning against the wall, face unreadable. "You've got more grit than I gave you credit for, kid."

"Can we just get him sat down before he passes out?" Beni repeated, this time more forcefully, not even waiting for a reaction before leading Tokoyami over to her workbench chair.

Airdriver and Beni both pulled up chairs on the other side of the bench, while Hawks stayed by the wall, as Tokoyami began to breathe heavily as the run caught up with him. It'd probably be an hour or so before he'd be ready to move properly again, but he had to recover. For Shouji's sake.

It was then that he noticed Dark Shadow had calmed down considerably, relenting back to a small lull in the back of his head. And when he noticed the bright lights shining around him, he realized why.

"Y-You knew Dark S-Shadow was active," He stated to Hayate.

"Of course I knew," The man replied sternly. "I've trained you for four years Fumikage, I know your Quirk. The moment we got the call, I had Beni light this place up. You may be reckless, but you're smart. I knew you'd come here first."

"T-Thanks," He muttered in reply. Beni quickly pulled something from her pocket, handing him a water bottle.

"Don't drink too much, take it in sips," She commanded, her eyes watching as Tokoyami began to sip at the water in an attempt to help his dried throat.

Hawks was the next to speak, a few minutes later, after Tokoyami had given the okay in terms of being well enough to speak. "You need to tell us exactly what happened, kid. Because all we know is that there was a message and that it was probably written in blood."

Tokoyami nodded, clutching his cloak tightly as he recalled what had happened. "Shouji went to grab us some drinks from the store next to the hotel after Hayate left. I wanted to give him some space since..." His voice caught in his throat though, remembering just why they had separated.

"Since what?" Hayate sternly asked. "Fumikage, we need to know."

"H-He was going to tell me about his past with the mask he wore..." Tokoyami finally admitted, eyes downcast. "We thought if he talked about it, he'd be able to confront those demons head on and move past it."

"So you gave him some space to let him prep himself, am I right?" Hawks guessed, frowning.

"Yes... I waited in the room for around twenty minutes, but I felt something wasn't right. When I got down to the street, I checked the store and the clerk said he'd left for the hotel already. It was when I turned back to the hotel that..." He took a deep breath, choking in a slight sob as he was forced to relive that horrifying moment. "...That I saw it. The blood, the message... I should not have left him alone."

Hayate placed a hand on Tokoyami's shoulder once more before stating loudly, "Look at me, Fumikage."

Tokoyami slowly glanced up, looking straight into his teacher's eyes, expecting an angry or stern expression. He was shocked when he saw concern and comfort, like a father to a son. "You cannot blame yourself for this."

"If I was there, he wouldn't have been-"

"If you were there, then you both could have been kidnapped and we might not have any leads to go on," Hawks cut in bitterly. "It's not worth focusing on what could have happened. Right now, Mezou Shouji is out there and needs to be retrieved by the end of the night, or else it's game over."

"He's right," Beni agreed. "From the message, we know where she will be. That's more than we've had to go on before."

It was at that moment, however, that Tokoyami was startled from his seat when his phone suddenly buzzed extremely loudly, the boy quickly glancing down at it in surprise. "Midoriya?" He muttered in confusion. "An address in Hosu City?"

"Right... There have been hostile creatures spotted in Hosu," Hawks muttered. "I guess your friend's caught up in it somehow."

"Then both of them are..." His words were lost in his throat as he realized what this meant. Midoriya was caught up in an attack on Hosu and he was here with Shouji abducted. And he couldn't help but think that in the worst case, he could lose both of his closest friends in the space of one night. The thought made his blood run cold.

After that, Hayate, Beni and Hawks all retreated to his office for a few minutes, likely to formulate some sort of plan while Tokoyami rested from the shock of it all. And yet, the longer he seemed to rest, the antsier he started to feel. He wanted to get out there and save his friend before anything serious could happen.

Pushing himself from the chair, he knew he needed to pace for a few minutes or just something to keep his mind racing and active. His muscles were feeling better and as long as he didn't push himself too hard, he'd be fine for whatever came next.

"You're up already?" The casual voice of Hawks stated, the young Pro slipping out from the office, closing the door behind him with a soft click. "I imagine you want to help save your friend."

"Of course," He replied, feeling a sudden wave of determination in his words. "The message on the wall was directed at me. That means I have to go, regardless of Hayate or Beni's thoughts on the matter."

"From what I hear, it's unavoidable," Hawks shrugged. "Apparently this Crimson Shadow has the power to bend shadows to her will. Makes it difficult to set up an ambush when the villain knows about it in advance."

"Then we need to spring the trap on purpose," Tokoyami said.

That was when the office door opened again, Beni and Hayate walking out, the latter looking straight to him with a worried stare, his age beginning to show as he looked at his young protege with tired, heavy eyes.

"Fumikage..."

"I'm going to meet her," He interrupted, clenching his fists as he stared down his teacher, expecting a battle.

Not an, "I know..." Hayate sighed, looking to Tokoyami with a wary gaze. "...I know better than anyone here about her Quirk. Her ability to manipulate the shadows, almost like a spider's web. The message asked for you."

But something didn't make sense about his words, something that Tokoyami was finally beginning to realize, among all this Crimson Shadow drama. "But how do you know about her Quirk? You've never fought her."

Hayate folded his arms, closing his eyes and stating, "Because I know her real identity. This incident confirms it."

"Her real identity?" Tokoyami asked, Hawks and Beni also turning to him with looks of surprise. "Who is she?"

The older man leaned back against his office door, taking a deep breath. The silence that followed was deafening, until...

"Akumi Himura, wife of the late Shouta Himura."

Beni's breath was caught at those names, "Are you serious?"

"Who are they?" Hawks asked, glancing around at the group.

Hayate gave a bitter chuckle.

"Shouta Himura was the civilian name for a Hero who fell in battle."

And then it clicked.

"The Raven..." Tokoyami stated. "The Crimson Shadow is the missing wife of The Raven."


	58. Imprisoned? A Tearful Conversation?

**Chapter 58 - Imprisoned!? A Tearful Conversation!?**

The first thing Shouji felt was a searing pain, his eyes shooting open from the intensity of whatever he was feeling. Blinking a few times, his vision was blurry, but perhaps it wasn't just his vision but the darkness around him that kept him from focusing his gaze. He couldn't really feel anything aside from that pain coming from the back of his head, as well as his left arm from the feel of things.

Shakily, he moved his head to glance to his left, a shooting pain causing him to wince, eyes closed as his head began to throb painfully. Whatever had hit him, it had done a number on him and left him in a lot of pain. His left arms were illuminated by the moonlight drifting in from a nearby window, which lit up that which he wished he could unsee.

His arm closest to his head had a deep gash embedded within it, stained with the crimson red of his own blood. And at that moment he could remember what felt like a knife stabbing into his flesh, causing him so much pain as he nearly passed out. And that woman... The blue-eyed woman with the dark hair, she had done this somehow.

Using his right arm, he slowly and carefully pushed himself with his free arms up from his spot on the ground, feeling some dust and small bits of flaked wallpaper slide off of his recently unconscious form. His head was still throbbing, with every movement causing a new wave of pain, combined with that of his left arm and the deep cut that left him feeling fairly woozy. But it seemed that there was no fresh blood spilling from the injury, much to his relief.

He wasn't in danger of bleeding out, so much as he was in danger of the one who had brought him here.

Toughing through the pain, he finally felt himself sitting upright, now cradling his wounded arm in his hands. As he saw a few moments ago, the cut was deep but somehow non-lethal. Whoever had done this had knowledge of the human body and, by extension, his Quirk as his dulpi-arms often kept less blood in them than his regular arms. Though had she cut into one of his normal human arms, they'd be singing a different tune right about now and he might be in more danger than he'd bargained for.

After thoroughly checking that his arms were okay, he moved his good hand to rest on the back of his head, where he knew he had been smacked. Luckily, he felt no blood, but there was definitely a severe bruise if the way his skin had swelled was anything to go by. That couldn't be good.

With his body intact for the most part, he decided to check just where he was, glancing around the room that he found himself in.

Desks and chairs lined the room in rows that led right up to where he was lain on the ground. They were ordered neatly, like a classroom. Glancing around the walls, he could see small scraps of paper still pinned onto the decaying wallpaper and, slowly turning his head behind him, he saw a large desk and a blackboard behind it.

"A classroom?" He muttered aloud, pushing himself up from the floor with a rather harsh degree of difficulty. Though as he stood up completely, his head began to spin and the world seemed to slow, resting his good arm on the teacher's desk to steady himself as he raised another arm to his forehead, wiping away some sweat that had begun to form.

Trying to think through the pain, he came to the rather simple conclusion that he was in a school, possibly one that had run its course and was derelict, given the way the classroom was in disarray. But why was he here? Just what did that woman want with him?

Tokoyami was probably worried sick and he didn't want to imagine what would have happened, had Tokoyami found the scene of the crime. He knew his friend would remain strong, but it was probably bad assuming the woman didn't clean up the blood. And she wrote a message with his own blood, from what he recalled.

"Fuck," He muttered under his breath, not sure how else to express the concern welling up inside of him.

For a few moments, he stood there, leaning against the desk as he waited for his vision to focus. As he did so, he tried to focus his other arms into ears in an attempt to hear anything from within the building. Even with one arm down, he was still known for being an ace at scouting and surveillance and, for once, he was grateful for that training, regardless of his feelings on how it defined him.

Hearing the sounds around him, giving himself a moment to breathe, he tried to focus on whether anyone was in the building with him. And for a moment, he couldn't sense anything.

But then it hit him like a tidal wave.

A sudden sensation that he was being watched from every angle, that he had been watched from the moment he had awakened in the classroom, by a malicious force. His breathing quickened and his heart rate began to rise, feeling a sudden pressure from the acute feelings his extra ears could sense. It felt like he was being surveyed, like an animal in a cage. And it made him feel sick to his stomach as he reformed his ears into hands.

He didn't want to feel that intense bloodlust again, for fear of losing his nerve.

He knew he was being watched, but seeing as the woman had not come to check on him after his awakening, that told him pretty quickly that she didn't seem to care for his wellbeing, as much as perhaps him just being there being the main reason he was kidnapped. She needed him in this building, that was for sure.

He glanced towards the windows, the moonlight streaming in.

And with a quick dash, he rushed towards the open glass, feeling the cool air of the outside streaming in. If he could escape from the building, perhaps she wouldn't have any leverage against whoever it was she was really after.

Though as his hands grasped the window sill, the light of the moon was suddenly extinguished as a pure black wall of shadow erupted from where the glass panes would have been, shutting that cool breeze from his grasp and causing him to stumble back as the room was darkened in the process.

"You really shouldn't try to escape, if I were you," A cold feminine voice called out from the other side of the room, Shouji snapping his head, his breathing caught in his throat as he realized he was no longer alone.

Standing on the opposite side of the room was the figure of a woman, almost his height, who had dark black hair that went down to her shoulders in a straight fashion. She was wearing what looked to be a dark black and red jacket that seemed almost like a trenchcoat. It was zipped up, hiding the rest of her costume, though the dark black boots stuck out from the bottom of her coat, rising up to knee level.

As he glanced at her face, he could see she wasn't as youthful as Hawks, definitely more in-line with Airdriver's age. She watched him with anticipation, with a pair of scarlet red eyes that reminded him instantly of Tokoyami's own red youthful gaze.

"I take it you're the one who kidnapped me," Shouji stated, attempting to hide the fear in his voice.

The woman raised a dark brow, her expression changing from intimidating to amused. "Obviously."

"Why?" Shouji asked, taking a few steps back towards the teacher's desk. "What do you have to gain by targeting a U.A. student?"

"Why indeed?" She replied back coldly. "I just wanted to get _his_ attention, it's been so long."

Shouji wasn't sure how to respond, biting his tongue before he could ask what she meant. So instead, he attempted to change the subject, glancing back to the window, starting to understand the nature of her Quirk. "Is that your Quirk? Shadow manipulation, how you hit me in the alley?"

The woman, still amused by his lack of fear, took a step forwards towards him, her footstep echoing through the room. "You should stop asking questions if you know what's good for you."

That single footstep caused Shouji's mouth to close instantly, his voice catching in his throat at the intense malice that seemed to spread directly from this woman. No doubt in his mind, he knew who she was. The Crimson Shadow, the very threat they had been warned about since their arrival in Fukuoka.

Would she kill him? Did she need him alive? What was she waiting for-

"You just need to wait here until _he_ arrives," She whispered, Shouji freezing completely in place as in an instant she was a few inches away from his face. Those crimson eyes up close, it felt like looking into a storm and he couldn't help but let his fear show as she gave a twisted smile. "You're right to fear me. If he doesn't show..."

She finally relented, taking a few steps backwards, a heartless laugh echoing from the depths of her soul.

"...I'll kill you."

At that, she seemed to melt into the darkness, vanishing altogether leaving Shouji trembling from head to toe.

What did she mean? Who was it she was waiting for? The obvious answer was Hayate and he was using him to get through to the Pro Hero. He was suddenly glad that Tokoyami had not come with him to the store that evening, or else the pair of them could have been kidnapped and that would have been the worst case scenario.

A cool breeze wafted through the window as the shadows around it began to vanish, the moonlight shining once again, leaving Shouji just as he was before he attempted to escape.

He'd just have to stay put and hope that a rescue effort was on the way...

* * *

"The Raven..." Tokoyami stated. "The Crimson Shadow is the missing wife of The Raven." He looked at his old teacher with a mixture of shock and pity, Airdriver's eyes giving away the awful truth.

"You've done your research, Fumikage," Hayate nodded grimly. "When Akumi went missing, we searched for days, months, years for her. I never thought that this was how we would meet, on opposite sides of the battlefield." He let out a bitter snort at the thought, though to Tokoyami it sounded more like he was trying to hold back those emotions of his own.

"This would explain the connection to Damien," Hawks realized quietly. "Then she's dangerous, right? She used to be a Pro Hero, like her husband."

Hayate nodded, breathing in a deep sigh. "This situation is more complicated than I realized. I should have seen it coming, honestly..."

"So what about Shouji?" Tokoyami finally asked, attempting to steer the conversation back to his friend. "The message left behind was for my eyes."

Beni stepped forwards, this time. "We need to come up with a plan," She explained, looking over at Fumikage with a pained gaze. "As much as we don't wish to, sending you in to spring the trap is our only option."

"Akumi would figure out if someone was with you in a heartbeat," Hayate added. "She won't hesitate to kill Shouji if things go awry for her. She was always the more calculated one..."

"What do you need me to do?" Tokoyami finally asked, clenching his fists in determination.

Hayate shook his head, glancing at Tokoyami's cloak before pointing straight in his direction. "Nothing yet. However, I need to speak with Dark Shadow."

Fumikage's eyes widened, glancing down at the cloak where his Quirk was hiding, no doubt feeling a lot of emotions himself that Tokoyami wasn't sure if he was able to deal with right now. Though if they were going to save Shouji, he needed to be on the same page as his Quirk. Or else they'd just go berserk again.

Relenting, Tokoyami bowed his head and willed his Quirk to manifest, Dark Shadow slinking gingerly from underneath the cloak, his normally bright yellow eyes dulled to a faded grey. His mouth was crooked and frowning... His Quirk was upset.

"Dark Shadow," Hayate started, crouching down to look at the Quirk on his level. "I need you to talk to me. Can you do that?"

The silence was unbearable after that question was asked, nobody daring to say a word. Even Hawks was watching cautiously, unsure on how to understand this scene unfolding before him.

Though finally, Dark Shadow reared his head slightly to stare at Hayate with those dimmed eyes of is, whispering a hoarse, **"Yeah, I can."**

Hayate breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. You understand we cannot send Fumikage out with you both so worked up. It could lead to more harm than good if he were to lose control, so for now, I'd like you to have a talk with your master. Sometimes people forget, but you are sentient, you have your own thoughts and wants and we all need to respect that. So, Fumikage, be honest with him. Be honest with yourself."

Dark Shadow gave a solemn nod, glancing up at his master with those almost lifeless eyes, Tokoyami not sure how to feel after hearing those words that pierced his very soul. Their gazes had met and Tokoyami could feel the overwhelming hurt that his Quirk was going through at that moment. He hadn't realized just how close Dark Shadow was to his friends, to the point where his Quirk was emotionally distraught over the prospect of losing them, something he should have realized sooner than he did.

"Dark Shadow," Tokoyami began, his Quirk still staring right at him, that pain in his heart, a pain reflected in Tokoyami's own feelings as Dark Shadow so often liked to point out. They were connected, he couldn't deny that any more. "We're going to get Shouji back," He stated soothingly, lowering himself down to his Quirk's level and taking Dark Shadow's head in his hands. "I won't let Akumi take him from us, alright?"

 **"F-Fumikage..."** Dark Shadow muttered softly, leaning into his master's gentle touch as Tokoyami gently scratched his head calmly. **"...I couldn't help it."**

"It's not your fault."

 **"I was angry."**

"It's not your fault," Tokoyami repeated.

Dark Shadow pulled away, ever so slightly, from Tokoyami's gentle petting to stare at him, tears welling in his Quirk's eyes. **"It was my fault. I tried so hard to take control to find Shouji. I-If he dies now, you'll lose one of your closest friends."**

"He won't die," Tokoyami stated.

 **"Fumi..."**

"Dark Shadow, I promise you, he will not die," Tokoyami whispered, leaning into his Quirk and pulling him close, feeling Dark Shadow's tears dripping down his cloak. "We are going to find Shouji, save him and bring him home."

The others could only watch, enraptured by this rare display of compassion towards the Quirk who had almost gone on a rampage, Airdriver feeling a swell of pride and accomplishment for Fumikage's tenderness at which he was handling the situation. The Fumikage of old would have ignored his Quirk's feelings or started an argument. The old Fumikage would never have gotten down to his Quirk's level and hugged it out.

This display of compassion, of kindness, was proof that Fumikage was fine enough to take on this mission.

 **"I don't want you to lose your friends, Fumi..."**

Tokoyami gave a small chuckle, feeling a few tears forming in his eyes as he wiped them away. "What are you talking about, you dumb bird. Shouji's your friend too, so's Midoriya, and Kouda, and everyone else. They care about you too," He hushed, his Quirk now trembling from those words that he so desperately needed to hear.

 **"M-My friends?"** Dark Shadow spluttered in disbelief. **"You mean that, Fumi?"**

"Of course I do," Tokoyami whispered back truthfully.

They stayed still, clutching to each other for a few minutes, until the racking sobs of Dark Shadow began to subside, Fumikage managing to conceal the majority of his emotions past those first few tears.

When Dark Shadow looked up to Tokoyami's face once more, however, his eyes were glinting with their usual yellow sheen and a hope seemed to have sparked from beneath the Quirk. **"I want to save our friend, Fumikage, together!"**

He didn't think he'd be losing control of Dark Shadow for the rest of the night.

They both jumped though when they heard the sound of someone blowing their nose, the pair glancing at Beni who had been weeping herself throughout the exchange, clearly affected by the emotional moment the two were having. She gave them a sombre smile, before gesturing back to Hayate, who was watching them with an approving look.

"You've come such a long way, Fumikage," Hayate stated.

"T-Thank you, Teacher," Tokoyami bowed, feeling like it was right, one last time, to refer to his old mentor by his respected title.

Though Hawks' voice jolted everyone to their senses.

"So, what about Shouji? We need a plan."

"R-Right," Beni stammered, wiping the tears from her eyes as she scrambled over to her station, pushing aside some pieces of scrap and blueprints until she laid her hands on a small circular item on her desk. "I think the plan from last night could work, with a few adjustments."

 **"Last night?"** Dark Shadow asked, now feeling much better and ready to contribute.

Hayate nodded. "I agree, Beni. The plan last night was simple. I would go alone to meet with Akumi. She would show up, then I would press this transceiver to give Hawks a signal to head to my location. Akumi cannot detect radio waves so she wouldn't be able to tell of the ambush until it was too late."

"So you want me to use this radio to contact you all to move in?" Tokoyami asked, trying to piece together his role in the plan.

Hayate nodded. "We would be stationed a few blocks away, ready to move in at a moment's notice. Akumi's power can stretch through an entire building's perimeter, so we should be fine a little ways away. You would need to find Shouji and, once ready for extraction, hit the button, informing us to make a move."

"As long as you've got your friend, we think she won't harm you," Hawks explained. "Seeing as, for whatever reason, she wants you there alone."

Tokoyami furrowed his feathers in thought. "I wonder why that is?"

"We don't have any info to go off regarding that, I'm afraid," Hayate explained with a frown.

"It could be as simple as your Quirks are compatible," Hawks shrugged. "Or something more complex," He added on, glancing to Hayate with a look Tokoyami missed.

"Anyway, it's almost eleven thirty. We've already got the location down since the only derelict school in the south was an old school for young children that was shut down around ten years ago or so. It was never demolished, for some reason," Airdriver explained. "We'll take you as far as we can, then prepare some back-up of our own, but from the moment you leave us, you'll be on your own."

"Understood," Tokoyami nodded. "I-I won't fail."

 **"Neither will I."**

Hayate smiled. "I truly believe that."

Though as Beni and Hawks worked to get Tokoyami set up for the mission, explaining the transceiver and warning him about the location, Hayate took a few steps back and inwardly frowned. He knew exactly what she wanted, that Akumi. And he hated that he hadn't realized Fumikage was her target a lot sooner. Of course, he would be.

He only hoped that she didn't say too much.


	59. Rescuing Shouji? Face to Face?

**Chapter 59 - Rescuing Shouji!? Face to Face!?**

Tokoyami sat in the back of a darkened range rover jeep, Airdriver at the wheel, driving through the night-time traffic towards the southern part of the city. Beni sat beside him, perhaps to give him some form of comfort on the journey, perhaps to keep his emotions from flaring up. Dark Shadow was curled up in Beni's lap, receiving some loving pets of affection that kept him as happy as he could be, given the circumstances.

Hawks had not joined them, instead being told to inform other Heroes in the area about the mission and the circumstances behind it, hoping to retrieve any form of back-up for when Tokoyami was to call for them. He had gone without question, flying away at a moment's notice, knowing that time really was of the essence. He'd been told to contact the Heroes from the meeting the day prior, Ice Scream and Chargevolt, as they knew the most about the situation at hand.

Beni had explained multiple times throughout the journey about how the transceiver worked, explaining how he only needed to push the button and it would activate, and with Tokoyami able to hide his hands underneath his large cloak, he had a way to hide his movements so if the Crimson Shadow was there, she wouldn't be able to tell what he was doing.

"The location you're going to is an old children's school that was shut down after budget cuts forced the closure," Beni explained as they passed from the city to the suburbs in the blink of an eye, the skyscrapers of the city rolling away behind them as smaller houses began to dot the sides of the road. "It's been abandoned for quite some time, the only one in the area."

"Some kids believe the place is haunted," Hayate added on. "I guess tonight you could say it is haunted, by a ghost of the past..." He whispered those last few words quietly enough that nobody else heard him.

"Anything else I should know?" Tokoyami asked cautiously, not wanting to risk anything.

He knew just how out of his depth this mission really was. Here he was, walking into the dragon's den in an attempt to rescue his friend from a Villain who used to be a Pro-Hero and thus had the training to subdue or kill him twenty times over. And on top of that, once he pressed the button, it would take back-up around thirty seconds to reach the building which was more than enough time for something to go wrong.

"Don't die," Hayate grimly replied, tossing something from the vacant front seat back at him.

Catching it, Tokoyami glanced at the rather weighty object in his hand, realizing quite quickly that it was a rather industrial flashlight.

"Can this stop her shadows?" He asked nervously, flipping the light on while it was facing the floor of the car to test its strength. And it was a strong light, illuminating a large circle around him that caused him to nod his head in approval.

"We're not sure," Beni admitted sheepishly. "Though it produces more light than a traditional industrial-strength torch thanks to the modifications I've made to it. Just point it downwards and it'll create a radius of up to four paces of light."

Tokoyami was definitely impressed now.

At that moment, however, he felt the car beginning to slow down, Hayate veering to the right to park the car on the corner of the road next to a few dimly lit houses. "This is as far as we can take you without entering her range," He stated as the car came to a stop.

Nodding, Tokoyami reached for the door handle, Dark Shadow pulling away from Beni to retreat underneath his cloak in a single swift motion. Beni was looking at him with those concerned eyes of hers, eyes that reminded him briefly of his mother back at home. Just what would she think about him going on a deadly mission to save Shouji's life when he'd promised her that this internship would be safe with Airdriver watching over them.

She'd probably lose it. Yep, definitely lose it.

"Fumikage," Airdriver stated, right before Tokoyami was to set foot out the car door. "Don't take any risks, you hear me?"

"I will not," He replied adamantly.

"I'm being serious. The moment you find Shouji, press that button and don't hesitate. Your lives are more important than Akumi." Hayate's voice was deadly serious and forceful as he said that.

"I promise you, I will not take any risks," Tokoyami repeated, this time with his caution backing him up.

And with a deep breath, he pushed open the car door and stepped out, brushing off his cloak as he glanced down the pavement in the direction of the school. Beni and Hayate watched as Tokoyami started to take his first steps towards the school, turning the corner and out of sight in the blink of an eye.

The moment Tokoyami was gone, Hayate breathed a sigh of frustration, resting his arms against the dashboard.

"I should be there with him," He muttered to himself silently, Beni looking at her boss with a pitiful expression. She knew it was hard to let Tokoyami go herself after having bonded with the kids these past few days, but she imagined this must have been much harder for Hayate. He'd trained him for four years and with the personal stakes in this mission...

"He'll be fine, Hayate," She whispered silently, placing a gentle reaffirming hand on his right shoulder.

"I'm not worried about how hurt he gets, Beni. Not physically anyway..." He replied quietly, his words puzzling his assistant who looked more confused than ever.

But it was clear he wasn't going to reply any more. They just had to believe that Tokoyami could carry this job and see it through to save his friend. Because the alternative would ruin them.

* * *

Crossing the first block, Tokoyami turned to the left, passing by the houses until he could see the building he was after in the distance. Surrounded by a chain link fence, the school was slightly separated from the rest of the buildings in the area, two stories tall with a large overgrown field to it's left, right where Tokoyami was walking. It was clear that the upkeep on the place was abysmal.

Walking across the pavement, he decided it would be best to take the main entrance. From what he was told, Akumi would be expecting him no matter how he entered as her Quirk was both strong and surveying and attacking any unwanted guests.

"Dark Shadow, can you handle the torch?" He asked quietly to his Quirk.

 **"Sure, might sting a little but I've dealt with worse,"** His Quirk replied adamantly, extending one of his shadowed arms from underneath the cloak, flashlight in hand. With a quick flick, the light switched on, illuminating a wide cone in front of them with a flood of bright light.

Beni really needed to give herself more credit, that light was intense.

 **"Brighter than it seemed in the car,"** Dark Shadow grunted.

"Let me share some of my energy with you," He muttered, imagining those wavelengths that controlled their energies and grasping his own.

 **"Thanks,"** His Quirk muttered gratefully.

They came up to the iron bar gates of the school, which were thankfully left open. He didn't feel like climbing or using Dark Shadow to boost over when he'd need his energy to fight the Crimson Shadow on the chance she decided to attack. Pushing open the gate with a loud metallic scratching sound, any form of stealth went out the window as the sound reverberated across the campus.

"Great, let everyone in the neighbourhood know we're here," He muttered grimly to himself.

Taking his first footstep into the school grounds, his eyes trained on the open front doors of the school. Though as he began to take more steps towards his destination, he could feel his heartbeat pounding in his chest, few beads of sweat rolling from his feathers as his legs grew ever so slightly heavy. It was the nerves, he was sure.

Mentally, he felt prepared to walk into the school, but physically he was having trouble just moving.

 **"Fumikage, focus!"** His Quirk hissed angrily, giving him a light pinch with his free hand, causing Tokoyami to jolt in surprise. **"We're U.A. students, right? It's our job to go beyond our limits, so we need to keep moving!"**

At that moment, Tokoyami glanced down at his Quirk with admiration. The Quirk whom he always fought with and laughed with, the Quirk who had brought him this far, was ever the attentive one even if he didn't act it. And he was right. They had to go beyond, right? Keep furthering themselves as Heroes. This was just another hurdle, dealing with the fear of the mission. One he needed to overcome for Shouji's sake.

"Plus Ultra!" He stated with determination, giving his Quirk the best smile he could muster.

His next few steps were easier and by the time he reached the main entrance, that fear he had felt seemingly vanished with just a few simple words. He couldn't afford to shut down - He'd already been in a crisis situation once before during the USJ and he didn't shut down then despite the overwhelming fear he had felt. And he wasn't about to shut down now.

"Let's go," He muttered, stepping across the threshold into the dark interior of the school. Small lockers sat in rows where people would normally put their coats and change their footwear, but they were rusted over now. "This place is a mess."

 **"I thought your room was bad,"** Dark Shadow chuckled silently, though the attempt at humour only proceeded to remind them that they were in a situation where humour was definitely not going to keep them safe.

His sole goal was to find Shouji. If he happened to encounter the Crimson Shadow along the way, he'd figure it out then. She had to know he was here, that much was certain, but if Airdriver was right and she wasn't planning on killing him straight away, perhaps he could figure out what it is she wanted from him, why she wanted him to show?

"Can you sense anything?" He asked his Quirk quickly as they stepped past the lockers, two hallways heading off on either side, with the main stairwell leading up, straight ahead.

Dark Shadow, at Tokoyami's question, closed his eyes and allowed his power to focus, attempting to feel the air to see whether he could sense anyone else, but when he reached that moment of being able to sense, his eyes shot open and his form went rigid. Dark Shadow whipped around to face Fumikage, his bright yellow eyes blaring in alarm.

"What is it? What did you sense?" He asked hurriedly, trying to keep his voice down, as his Quirk whispered back.

 **"It's everywhere, Fumi. I-I could sense we were being watched from every angle like we're lab rats,"** Dark Shadow stammered, the Quirk quickly flashing the light downwards in a circle around Fumikage in an attempt to alleviate that sensation.

But Fumikage could already feel that tingling sensation down his spine, that feeling of voyeurism that seemed to penetrate his every movement. Yeah, they were definitely being watched alright.

"We need to find Shouji, now!" He growled. But instead of replying with his voice, he let his mind do the talking. _"We run down the left hallway. Sweep the rooms, keep that flashlight near us at all times. We do the same with the right, then upstairs. We need to trust that Beni's torch will work."_

 _ **"R-Right, I've got your back Fumi!"**_

Right now, he was putting all of his trust into Dark Shadow. One false move with the light and it could spell disaster, should they be attacked. But Beni's light was strong and Dark Shadow was sharp. They could do this... They could definitely do this.

Pushing off from the ground, he broke into a sprint towards the left hallway, Dark Shadow swerving to light the way while keeping the light as close to the duo as possible. Tokoyami opened up the first classroom door, glancing in just barely, making sure to skim the room as best he could before moving on, not bothering to close the doors as he went.

The light was helpful in the task, checking the second classroom, then the third, then the fourth. One more classroom sat at the end of the hall, which he checked to find it was also empty, though before he could make the run to the right hallway, he needed a moment to breathe. Dark Shadow settled the light, while Tokoyami tried to think about what was left.

The hallway to the right, then assumedly two more hallways just like this on the top floor. It wouldn't take too long to search the school assuming they weren't interrupted. And once they found Shouji, all he had to do was press the button and wait. Though if Shouji was being used as bait, he'd inevitably come face to face with Akumi and her shadowy powers.

It was a confrontation he wanted to put off as long as possible.

Because if he looked at her, he wouldn't be able to guarantee that he wouldn't try to attack her on sight for daring to harm his friend. **"Fumikage, we need to move."**

Nodding to his Quirk, they darted from the leftmost hallway, passing by the entrance door which was alight with the moonlight of the night sky, towards the rightmost hallway, where he could see four classrooms. Two to his left, two to his right, and a set of double doors at the end. Making the same checks as before, he checked the classrooms, finding nothing, pushing open the double doors to reveal a large cafeteria.

It wasn't the size of U.A.'s lunch hall, which was probably the size of a mall food court, instead being around the size of your regular school cafeteria. Tables were lined with small benches people could sit on, as well as a small kitchen in the back which he'd need to check.

Winding around the tables, he moved towards the kitchen as quickly as possible, not wanting to waste any time, poking his head through a small serving hatch to survey the kitchen. Dark countertops, aged appliances that definitely didn't work and crumbling wallpaper, it was a mess. He thought he could even see a few cockroaches in the back, nibbling on whatever crumbs were still around.

 **"FUMIKAGE!?"** His Quirk screamed, Tokoyami looking to his Quirk, tilting his head right as a dark black shadowy tendril sliced its way through the air from inside the darkened kitchen.

Fumikage stumbled backwards, pulling himself over the countertop and back into the main dining hall, his breathing heavy from the shock, heart racing as Dark Shadow quickly settled the torch in a wide circle around him.

"W-What on earth was that?" He asked in surprise.

 **"It looked dark and shadowy, like a spike or something,"** Dark Shadow tried to explain. **"I should have been shining the light better."**

"You're doing fine, Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami replied quickly and loudly, taking another step backwards. "Had you not called out, that could have killed me."

And that fact shook the raven-headed boy to the core.

So far, he had gone through this building under the impression that while they were being watched, Akumi wouldn't do anything to actually kill him given she wanted him to come here. But that thought was idiotic in hindsight. She was still a villain and he was a hero. There was no other way around it.

"We need to move, quickly!" He exclaimed, realizing that she could see their every move, launching himself forwards towards the cafeteria door. Though as he weaved through the tables, he could see the door fading into darkness. She was trying to seal them in! "Light up the door!"

 **"But it'll leave you defenceless!"** Dark Shadow countered, worry in his cry.

"Just do it!" Tokoyami snapped, desperation mounting as he sped towards the doors as quickly as he could.

Dark Shadow reluctantly spun the torch's light into the door, the darkness melting away instantly to Tokoyami's delight. Though with the light off of him, he could see dark shapes in his peripherals preparing to launch an attack. Ducking downwards, he pushed himself into a roll as a shadowy tendril sliced the air where his head just was, leaping upwards with his momentum as another tendril lashed at his feet, slicing through a small portion of his fluttering cloak and scraping his left leg as he slid through the door and back into the hallway, not stopping to survey the scene as he pushed himself forwards towards the main stairwell and the entrance of the school.

"Put the light back on me, quick!" He called out, taking a few quick breaths as they made it back to the main entrance of the school, glancing back to see that the cafeteria doors were just as they were when he first arrived. He quickly glanced at his leg, feeling slight pain but it was a small wound, nothing major or deep.

That Quirk was so reminiscent of the guy he fought in USJ though. The one that Dark Shadow had lost it on...

It made him shiver.

 **"W-We barely made it out of there,"** Dark Shadow panted, the relief evident in his voice.

"We're not done yet," Tokoyami stated, glancing at the tattered remains of the bottom of his cloak while sucking in as much air as he could before pointing to the stairwell. "Shouji wasn't down here. Neither was she..."

 **"Upstairs?"**

"Indeed, it seems that way. We need to move before she attacks again," He softly stated, stepping onto the first step on the stairway as he did so.

Dark Shadow nodded, flashing the torch upwards to the top of the stairs, Tokoyami darting up, the first flight of stairs in a few moments, spinning around to face the second flight of stairs, feeling his hands trembling as they repeated the motion, making it to the top floor. Shouji had to be up here. Two hallways, one to the left, one to the right, the same as downstairs, just inverted.

"Left," He muttered, Dark Shadow moving the torch as asked. "Those tendrils attacked us in the cafeteria, that way leads to the rooms right above it. If she's keeping an eye on Shouji, that'll be where she is," He explained.

 **"Sound logic..."**

Taking a few steps into the hallway, he was honestly prepared for another attack, but the silence as his footsteps echoed down the hall was deafening and terrifying at the same time.

His senses were on high alert, knowing that any false move could result in an injury or worse. And he couldn't afford to die here, he'd be dooming Dark Shadow, Shouji and all of the people he cared about. His parents, Midoriya, U.A., Hayate and Beni... Clenching his fists together, he continued to walk down the hall, checking the rooms as he went.

He saw a small library in the leftmost room at the far end of the hallway, but it was empty aside from some torn up books and an overturned bookshelf. Whoever had been in there certainly was destructive. Snaking around, he began to check the two rooms of the right side of the hall, starting with the one furthest from the stairwell, glancing his head to the right to see nothing in the room. Empty as well.

Dark Shadow shined the light on the final room on the rightmost hallway, his heart in his chest as he silently pushed open the door with a creak, knowing that there was a chance Akumi could be in there, waiting for him.

The classroom was dark, save for the moonlight drifting in from the windows. The desks were arranged neatly, unlike the other rooms that all seemed dishevelled, and as Dark Shadow shined his torch towards the teacher's desk, a familiar form greeted them.

"Shouji!?" Tokoyami exclaimed, bursting into a sprint before he could stop himself, tearing across the room to where he could see his injured friend leaning heavily against the back wall.

At his cry, Shouji glanced up in surprise, his eyes widened as he realized who was here, spluttering out in disbelief, "T-Tokoyami?"

"Yeah, it's me!" He spluttered out, reaching his friend, only to feel a small twitch of anger pass through him.

Shouji looked worse for wear, with one of his right arms sporting an extremely deep cut that, while it wasn't bleeding, seemed incredibly painful. His friend was trembling ever so slightly and looked freezing cold, probably from the injury, while his eyes were somewhat bloodshot, yet extremely alert. "Why are you here?" Shouji quickly asked, leaning against Tokoyami's shoulder as the smaller boy took his friend's weight on to his own. "Where's Airdriver?"

"They can't approach," Tokoyami muttered, remembering the button in his costume's pocket that he could press. Reaching down into his pocket, he felt around the transceiver while stating, "The message she left asked for me to come alone so they couldn't risk it, otherwise she'd kill you."

"Wait, that message was for you?" Shouji asked, concern etched in his tone.

"Y-Yes," Tokoyami replied hesitantly. "Did you not know that?"

 **"Something's coming!"** Dark Shadow suddenly barked, one of Shouji's arms instantly moving up to wrap around his friend defensively. **"She's here..."**

Suddenly the moonlight streaming from the windows began to darken one by one, that familiar feeling that he'd felt the whole time he'd been in this school intensifying as he felt he was being watched from every angle.

 **"Back up against the wall!"** Dark Shadow hissed, Tokoyami edging backwards with Shouji in tow until they felt solid concrete, at which point Dark Shadow shone the flashlight all around them, lighting them up in a small cage of light.

Though that did nothing to prepare Tokoyami for what was forming on the far edge of the classroom, as if melting out of the shadows itself, a humanoid figure began to take shape, almost as tall as Shouji and certainly taller than him, pale white skin began to form, a dark black and red trenchcoat jacket following suit, with dark black boots clacking along the floor as a cold laugh filled the air.

Tokoyami finally found himself face to face with his assailant, her dark black hair moving down to her shoulders, her lips curled in a devious, gleeful smile and those eyes... Those piercing crimson eyes that caused Tokoyami to freeze in place. They were fiery and strong, betraying her true power to them in its glory as the older woman stepped towards them, edging ever closer to the torchlight.

"Hello, Fumikage," She greeted in a slow, menacing manner, her eyes locking on to his and not letting go.

"Akumi," He growled back. "Akumi Himura."

She tilted her head back at that, a low rumbling laugh coming from her throat as she placed her hands at her sides. "My my, you actually know who I am. I'm touched."

"You know her?" Shouji asked fearfully, much to Fumikage's concern. Shouji hadn't stopped trembling from the moment she appeared, he was terrified of the woman. And he could feel it, that maliciousness just oozing off of her, betrayed by her every move.

"Yeah, she's the wife of The Raven," Tokoyami stated coldly.

"What!?"

"I haven't heard that name in a while," She stated coolly, taking another step forward. "It brings back so many memories of my youth..."

"Don't you dare take another step!" Tokoyami growled, fear now replaced with his survival instinct after she took her last step.

The older woman arched a brow, folding her arms. "Or what? You'll contact those Pro Heroes you seem to love so much?" She asked condescendingly.

Tokoyami didn't reply, instead feeling around for that button that Hayate and Beni had entrusted him with. They could end this in 30 seconds, he was sure. He just needed to... Oh no.

His eyes widened, breath caught in his throat, blood turned to ice as Akumi unfolded her arms, holding something in her palms.

The transceiver.

"I'm afraid you won't be contacting anyone, my dear little Fumi."


	60. When Secrets Come to Light?

**Chapter 60 - When Secrets Come to Light!?**

Tokoyami could feel the cold sweat dripping from his feathers as he stared down the Crimson Shadow, Shouji standing just behind him against the wall, his good arms shielding Tokoyami from a possible attack, while Dark Shadow was hovering above them, the bright light of Beni's flashlight illuminating them in a bright circle that he hoped would suffice to keep her shadowy Quirk at bay.

But none of that mattered at that moment as he stared at the black rectangular remote in her hand that had, at one point, been nestled safely away in his back pocket.

"You really should be more careful about your belongings," She laughed deviously, raising the remote to eye level to get a good look at it.

Through gritted teeth, he barked, "How on earth did you take that remote from me?"

She let out a low chuckle, her eyes narrowing as she pointed her finger, her red nails glinting in the dim light of the room, straight at Tokoyami. Or no...

With realization dawning on him, he snapped his head downwards to where his cloak had been torn during his escape from the cafeteria, tracing the wound on his leg all the way up to... "You sliced it out of my pocket when you attacked me downstairs," He stated in disbelief, shocked that he had managed to miss such an important detail.

"Bingo," She stated, that grin not leaving her face as she took another step forwards, Tokoyami freezing up as he realized his threats would be useless now that she had their leverage.

"What the hell do you want with Tokoyami?" Shouji suddenly asked, piping up from his spot behind his friend, much to the woman's immense ire.

Her eyes snapped from Tokoyami, that playful malice shifting entirely to absolute displeasure as she glared at the taller boy as if he were nothing more than a nuisance. "Right... You're close with Fumikage, aren't you? Perhaps I should just kill you now and be done with it."

In an instant, Tokoyami was a step forwards, arms outstretched around his friend, clenching his teeth and beak shut fiercely, trying to hold back a sudden bout of rage that had spluttered to the surface at her words. "Don't you _dare_ lay a finger on him!"

Akumi looked almost surprised for a moment at Tokoyami's outburst, her words seemingly caught in her throat, until a low chuckle that formed into an uproarious laughter forced its way out of her chest, the woman keeling over by the desk she was standing on, placing the remote down as she continued to cackle.

 _ **"She's lost it, Fumikage,"**_ Dark Shadow hissed through their mental link, Tokoyami humming angrily back in agreement. Whatever the hell this woman was, she was unpredictable, and he had to be aware of everything she was doing.

Trying to quell his anger, he took in the situation. Akumi was laughing, leaning against the desk nearest to the teacher's desk where they were standing, not looking at them. The door was wide open and the windows were on the off-chance they needed to take drastic action. Shouji was wounded, not just his arm though. His movements were sluggish from the moment they arrived, probably a head injury.

He'd need a lot of time to get his friend out of the school.

But that remote, she'd placed it on the desk, and as she finished her laughing fit, she pushed off of the desk to look back at them, the remote no longer in her hands. If he could just reclaim it, he'd be able to signal for Airdriver and they'd be safe in roughly thirty seconds. They'd just have to survive that long.

"My goodness," She muttered, bringing a finger to her chin in thought. "You really know how to make me laugh, Fumikage. You actually think you can protect your friend from me, what a joke..." As she continued to speak though, her words began to darken, taking another step forwards. "You cannot protect anybody, not even yourself, not this waste you call a friend or those jokes you call parents..."

"What did you say!?" He barked back again, Shouji resting a quick, yet firm, hand on his shoulder to stop him charging out of the light of the torch. "Who are you to be insulting those who raised me?!"

She was clearly unphased, however, taking another step. She was only two paces away from the light, about ten paces away from the trio huddled by the back wall. "Who indeed?" She asked thoughtfully, licking her lips.

"I'll repeat again," Shouji muttered quietly. "What do you want with Tokoyami?"

Akumi's eyes narrowed once more into slits, almost like a snake searching out its prey. But instead of another threat, she gave a mirthless chuckle. She definitely had a thing for insane laughter, that was for sure. "What I want with Fumikage?"

"Stop calling me that!?" Tokoyami snapped, clenching his wrist. "You do not have the right to call me by my first name!"

"Oh really?" She replied in a knowing tone, Tokoyami feeling his rage dissipate as she took one more step, one away from entering the ring of light. "I don't have the right to call you by your birth name?" Rolling her eyes, she folded her arms. "What if I told you I do have that right?"

Tokoyami froze at her words, unsure as to what she meant, the confusion clearly showing as his feathers ruffled in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"I'm saying," She repeated, looking straight into his crimson eyes. "What if I told you that I do have the right to call you by the name, Fu-mi-ka-ge!" She stated, singing his name cheerily, an eerie silence falling on the group as her words began to worm their way into Fumikage's thoughts.

Just what the hell did she mean by that? Why the hell would she have the authority to call him by that name, the name that only his parents and Dark Shadow had the privilege of using?

Shouji glanced down at his friend, clearly seeing the mental strain in his eyes that her words were causing, realizing very quickly that they were beginning to worm their way into his thoughts and, by extension, could cause him to make mistakes he really shouldn't make.

"Toko, don't listen to her," He hissed, the thief not bothering to give him a passing glance at his words. "She's trying to mess with your head!"

"But why me?" Tokoyami angrily hissed back. "Why does she want me? Why kidnap you?"

The woman snorted, leaning her hands back against the desk behind her lazily. "Kidnapping Shouji was just a part of my plan to get to you, Fumikage..."

"Plan to get to me?"

Her eyes seemed to be smiling, a lascivious, devious, terrifying grin worming it's way into her mouth as she began to explain.

"You were always my target, from the very moment I came to this city. You see, as you know my husband had a similar mutation to yours and, I do just love raven so much. You were so strong on the Sport's Festival, so very powerful... I wanted to meet with you, see this instinctual power for myself." Tokoyami found his free hand now gripping on to one of Shouji's good arms, attempting to support himself as this woman continued to terrify him.

"I did my research, like any good thief, figured out exactly who you would be interning with and I was so pleased to see it was my old friend, Noboru. He was always so kind to me and Shouta. We were best friends, you could say, so much so that when my husband died, he took the burden on himself. I was more than happy to blame him, angry at how my husband died protecting him and..."

She sighed. "...Well, our friendship soured after that."

"What does this past of yours have to do with targeting me?" He asked quickly. But while he was trying to keep her talking, he was also contacting Dark Shadow. _"When she lowers her guard, go for the remote, click the button and we'll figure it out from there. I'll keep her talking."_

 _ **"R-Right..."**_

Akumi smiled. "I was getting to that part before you so _rudely_ interrupted me." The force behind her words was enough to keep Tokoyami silent, but hopefully her story would keep her occupied for a few more moments. "Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Noboru. You see, this is as much me getting back at that man as it is targetting you. He ruined my life."

Slamming a controlled fist down onto the desk to her right, with the remote on the desk to her left, she took a deep breath. "What did he tell you both about me?"

"Nothing," Tokoyami replied. "I discovered what happened to you via my friend at the Sport's Festival. How you miscarried and went missing a year after your husband's death."

"I-I went missing?!" She replied in confusion, tilting her head slightly, mouth opened in a confused grin. "Is that what everyone was told?! Really, I never thought to look myself up. A woman should never reveal her secrets, even to herself, after all."

"Are you telling us that something else happened?" Shouji asked slowly.

Tokoyami was grateful his friend was keeping her talking as well. He must have realized that Tokoyami was trying to keep her occupied, this would be their best bet as Dark Shadow inched across the ceiling, slow as a snail, so minutely you'd actively need to notice his movements to catch him.

"Well of course! That bastard, Noboru, sent me to a rehabilitation centre and never told anyone!"

Tokoyami's eyes widened at the claim, unsure on how to react, aside from stuttering out, "H-Hayate sent you?"

"People don't just go missing, especially not an ex-Pro Hero," She replied grimly, cracks beginning to form on the desk her fist was still slammed on. "You see, he took it upon himself to be my Hero. But I didn't need or want his help. And now I'm here to teach him a lesson and to finally meet with you, Fumikage."

"You still haven't explained your plan," He pointed out hurriedly, feeling the sweat dripping down his face as the nerves were beginning to seep in. Shouji's tight grip on him was all that was keeping him from trembling in fear.

"Right, right," She waved, moving her hand from the splintered desk, her voice regaining that sultry tone. "I decided to make a reputation for myself before you arrived. I made sure that Noboru's gaze would be directly on me and not on you, which was why I had to kill poor Damien. The man who took the life of my beloved Shouta..."

"I made sure to bribe the police to get into the prison. Just threatening to kill the Police Commissioner's family was easy enough. And killing Damien helped the police free up space anyway, we all won there. It felt good to take the life from that miserable American whelp. And best of all, I took that honour away from Noboru, ridding him of his own vengeance."

Tokoyami didn't even know what to say, feeling sick to his stomach at this woman's twisted mind, yet constrained by that malicious power that was dominating the room. He knew he only had one shot to grab that controller and warn the Heroes that this incident was happening. But he could sense it, his opportunity was fast arising. He just needed to keep his cool, focus on saving Shouji and keep his cool.

"Once Damien was dead, I figured Noboru would have an idea of who I was. I stalked him the night after to the Warehouse District and purposefully chose not to appear, so as to exhaust him. And it worked. The day after, when you saved my purse at the beach, he had no idea who I was... But you..."

And suddenly her head snapped up to Dark Shadow, who froze in place, mere inches from where he was previously, the trio praying she hadn't noticed. "You, little shadow, you knew it was me. Don't think I didn't notice how you froze when you touched me. So naturally, I made a quick escape before you could blow my cover."

 **"I should have said something..."** Dark Shadow lamented silently.

"No, I noticed but I forgot when that child distracted us," Tokoyami stated to his Quirk, full of regret. "So let me guess, you followed us back to the Hotel and abducted Shouji knowing I would try to save him, and you hid somewhere nobody would think to look, that's how we ended up here?"

"Almost right," She clapped. "But you're slightly wrong. This building has a purpose."

"A purpose?" He asked incredulously.

Her smile turned demonic as her eyes shifted to Shouji. "Indeed... This old elementary school was once open. Do you know what it was called when this place was still used, Shouji?"

Shouji answered, noticing her question was directed at him, "How should I know?"

"Does the name, Irube Elementary ring a bell?"

At that moment, Shouji's entire body tensed up beyond belief, his working hands clenching into fists, Tokoyami feeling the hand on his shoulder clamp down tightly. Shouji's eyes widened, breathing hitched in a similar manner to when she revealed she had the remote to Tokoyami. Only this time, Shouji's breathing began to speed up, heavily.

"S-Shouji?" Tokoyami stammered, spinning around to face his friend who seemed to be having the beginnings of a panic attack. Spinning back to her, he shouted, "What on earth did you do to him!?"

"Nothing," She shrugged, chuckling lowly. "You should ask him."

Whirling back to his friend, Tokoyami quickly grasped one of Shouji's trembling arms, trying to look his friend in the eyes, "Shouji, look at me, please! Please!"

"I-Irube, Toko, Toko, we need to get out of here!" Shouji suddenly screamed loudly, almost like a wild animal, taking a step away from the wall and his friend, towards the edge of the light. "I-I can't be here. Not here."

With no other options, lest Shouji slip into the darkness, Tokoyami grabbed his friend by the arm and yanked him back against the wall, stating very sternly, "Calm down Shouji! I'm here, I am here."

Shouji's panicked breathing continued, though his grip began to falter, Tokoyami once again turning to Akumi for some sort of answer.

"Fine... Seeing as your friend is having a meltdown, I'll explain it in simple terms. He used to go to school here. I found out when researching him the day you arrived. It seems he made a few headlines for some egregious reasons. Scaring other children to the point where they wouldn't come to school or something like that."

"W-What?" Tokoyami stammered, turning back to his friend who's eyes were glistening with tears. "Shouji, please! If this about your past, about your mask, we can talk about it! I promised I would listen and help you, but right now is not the time!" He begged, pulling at his friend's costume in an attempt to get through to him. "Please, you're my friend, I need you right now more than ever."

"How saccharine and sweet. It makes me want to wretch. I think I'll just be rid of him," She muttered darkly, waving her hand as a dark tendril materialized at the edge of the light ring. "Now then, Dark Shadow, was it? Turn off the light."

 **"No way, I don't take orders from you!"** Dark Shadow hissed, standing his ground as Tokoyami continued to plead with Shouji, the taller man finally beginning to come around from his shock-induced meltdown.

"Shouji, please! Focus!" He begged once more, slamming a fist onto his friend in frustration.

Though the sudden hand around his back, pulling him close and the sudden whisper of, "Now," was the only warning he had as in that instant Shouji pushed him backwards, charging forwards himself straight towards Akumi.

Tokoyami span around from the force of the stagger, Dark Shadow instantly diving downwards while tossing the light straight to Tokoyami who grasped it and span to face Akumi.

The woman stumbled backwards, suddenly blinded by the shining lights as Shouji slammed into her, pushing her back over a desk while Dark Shadow reached the controller, slamming the button, which lit up with a bright green colour instantly.

"Kill him!" A scream echoed throughout the room. "Kill for your mistress!"

Tokoyami barely had a moment to react, diving for Shouji with his light, grasping onto his friend and pulling him back towards the wall, shining the light across the whole classroom in an attempt to stop the shadows.

But he couldn't anticipate those shadows created behind him, Dark Shadow launching across the room in an attempt to save the pair. But Shouji was quicker, using Tokoyami's grip on him to spin them around, the shadow cutting through the air as a ripping sound and a strangled cry could be heard.

The two boys collapsed against the wall, Tokoyami feeling small spatters of blood as he quickly glanced to his friend, fear seizing him as he could tell he hadn't been pierced by the shadow. And as he looked over Shouji's body, he could see no sign of injury either.

 **"S-Shouji?"** Dark Shadow suddenly stammered in shock.

"What happened?" Tokoyami asked quickly, glancing up at his frien- Oh.

That ripping sound that Tokoyami heard had been a piece of fabric. And as his eyes trained on his friend's shocked face, he could see the tears where his mask used to be. "S-Shouji, your mask..." Tokoyami stammered meekly.

And Shouji, for what it's worth, remained as calm as he could, looking down at his shocked friend.

Shouji didn't have a normal mouth, that was for sure. His mouth was widened and jagged, stretched out across his cheeks like that of a reptile, only there was something unnatural about the way the flesh around his lips rippled across his lower cheeks like jagged scars. It was as if someone had cut open the sides of his face and left his mouth open to the air.

Though the biggest feature seemed to be the extra teeth that formed within those stretched open cuts, and at that moment he realized that the skin around his friend's mouth was just too thin, ensuring that he wasn't able to hide his teeth or close his mouth. The extra rows of teeth, some of which looked extremely sharp and fang-like, combined with his tall appearance and stoic expression... To anyone else, it would invite terror, looking upon his visage.

The absolute vulnerability that shone in his eyes as he suddenly realized what was happening was enough to cause Shouji to recoil, attempting to cover his mouth with his spare hands in a frantic battle to keep Tokoyami from seeing, even though it was clearly too late.

"S-Shouji..." Tokoyami stuttered, oblivious to the pissed off thief who was picking herself up from the desk where she had fallen.

"Don't look at me, Toko," Shouji stated coldly, recoiling away completely. "I'm not normal!"

But Tokoyami shook his head and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder gingerly. "Shouji, please look at me..."

The taller boy did not reply, frozen in place, covering his mouth and trembling from this sudden moment of weakness.

"Shouji... please..."

Tokoyami sounded so defeated in that moment, hearing the tears beginning to well in his voice as it quivered, terrified of his friend shutting down and losing that friendship, that bond they had. Knowing that in the next few moments that vile woman could kill them, he just... He needed to let him know...

With the slightest of nods, Shouji turned around to face him, slowly removing the hands over his face, his eyes betraying the fear he felt as he stated, "I-I'm hideous..."

Shouji was not expecting his best friend to reach out and touch his cheek, brushing against the widened reptilian-like mouth with such care and compassion, so much so that he froze up, unsure of what to do.

"You're not hideous Shouji," Tokoyami whispered gently. "Y-You're beautiful, just as you are." The words slipped out, he wasn't even sure what he was going to say, but he meant what he said. Shouji's face was beautiful and who was he to judge. "I literally have a raven head, y'know. I would never judge you."

But before Shouji could reply, that vile woman spoke up from the other side of the room.

"It seems we have company."

And she was right, for, at the door to the room, four figures had suddenly entered, two very familiar to the boys.

The back-up had just arrived.


	61. His World Will Shatter?

**Chapter 61 - His World Will Shatter!?**

Time seemed to stand still in that moment as four figures appeared from the open doorway leading to the rest of the school, filing inside the classroom with a speed that Tokoyami had only ever seen in person from the teachers at U.A. during the USJ incident. But even so, Tokoyami had learned not to let his guard down, even when help had arrived. He was on the opposite side of the room with Shouji, who had now dropped his arms to his sides, his mutated mouth in full view under the light of Beni's flashlight that Tokoyami was shining.

Akumi, for what it's worth, seemed incredibly calm for someone who, a few moments before, had almost speared the pair to an early grave via her shadowy tendrils. She took a solitary step back, realizing very quickly that she was outnumbered four to one.

For standing there were four Pro Heroes, two of which Tokoyami recognized instantly. Firstly, Airdriver was closest to the group, his mask forgone, having been left behind at the agency, his face left bare for everyone to see. And the pain in his expression said it all. He was seeing an old friend who had turned down the wrong path for the first time in what must have been just under fifteen years.

But Akumi's words were ringing in his mind as he watched them stare each other down.

 _"That bastard, Noboru, sent me to a rehabilitation centre and never told anyone!"_

Shaking his head, he couldn't focus on that right now. His priorities were to escape with Shouji and leave Akumi to the Pro Heroes. Of which three others were gathered. Hawks was standing closest to the door, his blood red wings fanned out across the doorway to keep anyone from leaving the room. Next to their mentor, he could see two other Pro Heroes.

One was a large woman wearing what seemed like ice cream cones made entirely of metal. He could see that they doubled as large speakers, instantly reminded of Jirou's costume and the speakers she included on her suit that used her heartbeat to attack. The woman's bright pink hair stood out in the darkness of the school and he had to assume that this was the Heroine, Ice Scream, who Beni had mentioned the day before.

And look at the other, dressed in a light neon costume with white accents across it, with similar white spiked hair that seemed to be sticking up from some sort of static, this was the Electric Hero Chargevolt, another famous Hero in the area that Beni had mentioned.

But the lack of police backing up the Heroes was definitely a concerning factor. Perhaps the Commissioner had denied them out of the fear that Akumi would kill his family like she had threatened to when breaking into the Fukuoka penitentiary.

"Stand down, Akumi," Airdriver stated, hand raised, ready to deliver a swift burst of wind.

"Oh really, Noboru, you're going to act like this at our reunion?" She teased, rolling her eyes as she pointed towards Tokoyami and Shouji, who had both now pulled themselves off of the ground, Dark Shadow once again in position of Beni's flashlight. "You and I both know that letting out an attack in this small room could result in your precious U.A. students being injured in the crossfire."

"Tokoyami, Shouji, are you alright?" Hawks called over, interrupting the pair as he made eye-contact with Shouji and got a look at what was beneath the mask. If he was fazed by what he saw, he did not let it show, waiting for an answer.

Tokoyami replied, "We're fine. Shouji's got a wounded shoulder and his head..."

"She knocked me out by a blow to the head," Shouji stated over his friend. "I could feel it bruising over when I woke up."

"It's a shame that you'll have to get through me to treat him," Akumi interrupted with a malicious giggle, taking a solitary step back.

A crackle of electricity shot towards her at the slightest movement, Chargevolt slamming his hand forwards to release a surge of neon blue energy straight at Akumi. But the sudden wall of shadow that burst up into the air around her, slicing the electricity and covering it in shadow caused a sizzling sound as it fizzled out, Akumi dully looking towards Chargevolt.

"Was that supposed to hurt me?" She asked mockingly, Chargevolt's eyes widened in pure shock. That attack had to have been quite powerful for him to be so frazzled at her blocking the attack. "Honestly, Noboru, these two don't hold a candle to my skills," She explained, gesturing to Ice Scream and Chargevolt, the pink-haired Hero looking extremely offended at that, while Chargevolt looked crestfallen, a far cry from the cocky swagger he had in his day to day patrols.

"How rude, but I should expect that of a lowly thief," Ice Scream boomed, her voice echoing through the room loudly as she went to point one of her cones at the Crimson Shadow.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Hawks stated casually, glancing up at the ceiling. "This building is dilapidated, so your voice could cause the roof to crumble. Then were would we be?" The falling powder from the concrete on the roof was enough for Ice Scream to step back, teeth gritted in annoyance.

Akumi, now widely smiling, stated in a cheerfully chipper voice, "Okay, brilliant! You all seem to understand the situation at hand. Though, I guess I really should make my point, seeing as Noboru, you still want to attack me right?" Her eyes glinted in the darkness as she looked at her former friend, before suddenly spinning around dramatically.

As she did so, the shadows surrounding her lurched towards the teacher's desk where Tokoyami, Shouji and Dark Shadow were standing. They had no time to react as the shadows began to pierce the walls around their bubble of light.

 **"Gah!?"**

At his Quirk's distressed cry, Tokoyami's eyes snapped upwards to where Dark Shadow was hovering with the light. But his crimson eyes widened in horror as he saw the shadows of Akumi's Quirk twisting and turning around Dark Shadow, having come from above Dark Shadow himself and thus above the circle of light, constricting him from moving. But that wasn't the reason for his discomfort. No, he could feel what Dark Shadow felt due to their mental link.

So when those shadows hit, he felt Dark Shadow's mind go reeling into a state of catatonic shock, for lack of a better term, his Quirk freezing up in what could only be described as utter disbelief or utter horror. It was that seem oppressive feeling they had felt earlier in the day when she had brushed against them at the beachfront, and this time it felt ten times worse.

"D-Dark Shadow?" He whispered out in shock, his voice weak and fearful as his Quirk's bright yellow eyes began to dim to that look he had when being scolded back at the office.

And then the flashlight dropped from his grip, so suddenly that neither of the students could react as it clattered and crashed to the floor, the glass splintering and shattering as the light switched off from the drop.

The room was plunged into sudden darkness and at that moment the shadows surrounding Shouji and Tokoyami grew in density. It was only when Airdriver pulled out a flashlight of his own and flashed it towards them in shock that Tokoyami saw exactly what had happened.

Dark Shadow was now pinned against the wall above them, meekly whimpering, spirit completely crushed. Shouji was a few paces away towards his right against the far corner of the room, pinned to the wall by one of his good arms. As for himself, he was exactly as he was, except for the sudden shadowy tendril wrapped around his throat, threatening to slice him open in one fell swoop.

Glancing around, the two rookie Pros were where they had started, unable to do anything, while Airdriver and Hawks had both attempted to dive towards the pair, Hawks even having a few feathers from his wings launched towards them in an attempt to help, but unable to do anything as the Crimson Shadow held those feathers motionless in place with the rest of her shadows, still looking as calm as she had when they had first arrived.

Instead, they had to settle for standing halfway across the room, while she held them back with her Quirk.

"Much better," Akumi stated, glancing to Airdriver, then to Hawks, plucking one of the red feathers from the shadows and turning it over in her hands. "My, my, one wrong move and you would have caught me. It's a shame you're still so inexperienced," She finished, any emotion fading from her voice as she tossed the red feather to the floor, this time Hawks letting a small scowl cross his face at her words.

"Scream, Volt, go call for back-up," Airdriver suddenly stated, much to the surprise of everyone in the room.

"W-What?" Ice Scream called back in shock.

"You heard me, you can't use your Quirks in here and she's using all of her power to keep us back. You won't have any trouble escaping," Airdriver explained, barking the orders before turning his head back to face Akumi. "Isn't that right, Akumi?"

The woman folded her arms and nodded, glancing to the two Heroes at the back with his fiery gaze. "He's right. If anybody knows the limits of my Quirk, it's Noboru. How about we make it a game? You try to get back-up before I conclude my business here. If you get back in time, you win, but if I finish my work here before you return... _I win._ "

"Don't listen to her words, just **go**!" Hayate shouted, Chargevolt grabbing Ice Scream by the arm to quickly drag the woman out of the room before she could protest.

Hawks glanced over at his old mentor with a frenzied expression. "You just sent away our backup."

"The fewer people around her, the better," He replied back calmly, looking back to Akumi. "Now then, I won't make a move against you if you promise not to harm the students or the Quirk."

"Negotiations?" She stated in disbelief. "You're really that delusional that you think you are in a position to negotiate with me?"

"Yes," Hayate replied. "If you wanted to, you could have killed them at that moment when the light went out, but you didn't. That tells me you want them alive."

She shrugged. "I'm only keeping the taller one alive because it seems Fumikage is determined to protect him. And I wouldn't want to harm Fumi... Would I, Noboru?"

Tokoyami, from his spot by the wall, felt his muscles tense up at the way she said those words, dripping with a subtext that he clearly had no insight to. He had a feeling that Airdriver had been hiding something from him from the moment they arrived in Fukuoka, after all...

"What do you mean?" He called out in confusion, everyone's eyes turning to face him as he felt the shadow around his neck tighten ever so slightly. "Why did you choose to target me? Because I look like your past husband? I do not understand!"

"It doesn't matter," Hayate called out, trying to snap the conversation back to him. "What matters is getting you to safety!"

"Perhaps he's safer right here with me," Akumi stated plainly back. "After all, I'm not the one who's been keeping secrets, am I, Noboru."

The dark look on his mentor's face said it all as Tokoyami watched their back and forth. His sullen sunken expression and the shining guilt in his eyes that he could see, even through the darkness of the room. There was a secret being kept from him, something that he was sure if he understood would help everything to make some semblance of sense.

"Telling everyone that I went missing when you sent me to a damn rehab centre," She snapped, a shadowy tendril slicing towards Airdriver as he made a sudden step back to avoid the blow, much quicker than Fumikage had been at dodging those attacks.

"You were a danger to everyone around you, Akumi," Noboru snapped back, settling into a fighting stance as more shadowy tendrils began to stab at him.

Hawks, from his position, could only watch as Hayate deftly ducked and weaved through the various attacks, flipping upwards and using the slight wind pressure from his gauntlets to almost float through each of the attacks. It was clear that he had done this before in the past, in a time long gone by, and Hawks was always glad to see his old mentor, his friend, showing why he was a Pro. Though he trained his gaze back to the captive students, his eyes resting on Shouji, who was watching everything intently.

For Shouji was watching the situation unfold, that tender moment of kindness and the realization that his own insecurities could wait to allow him to think as clearly as he could, given the head injury. And the taller boy could see that his friend was extremely agitated. Tokoyami was confused and the words shared between the two old friends, turned enemies, had him wondering just what secrets they could be hiding. Training an eye upwards, Dark Shadow was still whimpering against the wall, unable to move, motionless.

Glancing at the shadow wrapped around his arm, he wasn't sure what he could do from here. Not without waiting for the right time, at least. And this wasn't it.

"I was a danger, alright!" Akumi snapped, her shadows splitting off into even smaller tendrils, no thinner than wires. "A danger to your precious media representation, so you had me shipped off to be forgotten! You didn't even try to talk with me, and you left me to rot!"

"You wanted to kill Damien! You got so involved in his case, to the point of lunacy, neglecting everything around you!" Hayate roared back passionately, the sudden outburst from him causing Akumi to stop in her attacks as she sneered at the man.

"I wanted justice for my husband!" She countered back.

Hayate took a step forwards. "You took away our justice from us two nights ago when you murdered Damien in his prison cell!"

"And what would you know about justice, when you've been living a lie for the past fifteen years?" She spat back. "I know it's not just the fact that I went missing, you erased my child's birth from the records and said I miscarried!"

The weight of her words seemed to crash down on everyone in the room in that instant, Tokoyami and Shouji's eyes meeting in shock as they realized that practically nothing they had been told regarding this woman seemed to be the case. His teacher, his mentor, had lied outright to them to hide this shocking truth.

"It... was a necessary precaution," Hayate finally stated, the wind knocked out of his sails somewhat as he now found himself taking two paces back from the situation at hand. "You neglected your child..."

Akumi just stared at him, like he was spouting absolute nonsense, her fists trembling with what could only be described as a desire to kill. But instead, she let out a loud hollow laugh that filled the room, low and rumbling, a laugh that betrayed the inner madness behind her sultry tone.

"You neglected my child as well," She stated coldly. "Giving him away, my little boy, before sending me off to the nuthouse!"

That was when Tokoyami spoke up, hoping to quell the flames between the two before something really bad happened.

"I still don't understand what any of this has to do with me?" Tokoyami asked aloud once more, this time in a louder, more aggressive voice. It was like listening to Ashido and Kaminari argue at school, a back and forth that clearly wasn't going to stop.

Akumi, as if jolted out of a trance, turned back to face Tokoyami, her shadows covering her once more as her face softened. "Fumikage... This has everything to do with you."

Tokoyami's breath hitched, her eyes locking on to his for an instant, his confusion beginning to mount once more. The way she was staring at him, he had attributed it to the malice she seemed to embody, and yet in her eyes, there was an unnatural warmth. A comfort there that wasn't apparent before.

"The reason why I brought you here, Fumikage, is so simple," She stated, a smile worming its way onto her face as she gestured up to the shadowy tendril holding Dark Shadow. "Release."

A sudden pop rang through the room as the shadows surrounding his beloved Quirk instantly burst into thin air, Dark Shadow crying out as he sunk downwards, plummeting to the floor. Tokoyami felt the shadow around his neck vanish, instinctually moving forwards to catch his Quirk in his arms, Dark Shadow tumbling straight against Fumikage's chest with such force that the raven-headed boy felt himself slip back to the ground.

"D-Dark Shadow?" He stammered, fear gripping his mind as he tried to motion to his Quirk, both physically and mentally, seeing just how drained his Quirk was. His eyes had almost lost their yellow sheen entirely, a dull white instead with yellow pinpricks deep down.

"Akumi, we can settle this elsewhere," Airdriver called out to the Crimson Shadow, Tokoyami blocking out his words in an attempt to attune with his Quirk once more.

 _"Dark Shadow, please... Can you hear me?"_

The silence in his mind was deafening, feeling and hearing nothing but the faintest presence that suggested his Quirk had been bound outside of his body for far too long. Though as Tokoyami drew the physical form of Dark Shadow closer to his chest, that presence began to grow ever so slightly. And then, weakly in his mind...

 _ **"F-Fumi..."**_

 _"Dark Shadow! I'm here, I'm here,"_ He whispered soothingly, trying to keep his Quirk calm as Dark Shadow slowly came back to him.

 ** _"F-Fumi, she..."_**

 _"She...? Dark Shadow, please, rest a moment, you're too weak right now."_

 ** _"N-No, I n-need to tell you t-this... Those shadows... T-They felt..."_**

 _"Felt what?"_

 ** _"T-They felt... familiar."_**

"Familiar?" He muttered aloud, everyone turning to him and his mutterings in surprise. But before Tokoyami could ask further, Dark Shadow began to dissipate back inside of Tokoyami, needing rest. And Tokoyami knew at that point his Quirk wasn't coming back out that night.

"Toko, what did he say?" Shouji asked urgently, jolting Tokoyami back into the room.

As he glanced around, he noticed that Hawks had moved back towards the door, probably at Hayate's request, while the Pro Hero and Villain were both staring each other down, though looking at his mentor's face, it seemed Akumi had the upper hand in whatever battle they were waging. Because he looked conflicted and concerned, his eyes trailing straight to Tokoyami with worry.

"He said... The shadows... They felt familiar..." He was more muttering to himself, trying to puzzle what his Quirk was saying, but before he could figure it out, Akumi interrupted his thoughts with a single question, a question that would send his mind reeling.

"Have you ever wondered why you don't look like your parents?"

Tokoyami, crinkling his brow, felt his feathers bristle in discontent as he glanced up at the Thief, his mind drawing a complete blank. "W-What?"

"Well, it's just... Most mutations are genetic, right?" She stated off-handedly, that sadistic grin on her face unnerving him beyond anything.

"Akumi, don-"

"If he doesn't answer me, I'll cut off his friend's arm," She stated emotionlessly, pointing straight to Shouji. Suddenly, the shadows surrounding Shouji's arm began to tighten enough for the boy to cry out through his gaping maw in pain.

And Tokoyami reacted instantly, "Don't hurt him!"

"Answer my question then," She stated coldly. "Why don't you look like your parents?"

"H-How should I know?" Tokoyami asked back, genuinely stumped by her question. Though as he said that, Shouji gasped out in pain as the shadows began to grow even tighter. "P-Please, I don't know!?"

"Alright," She muttered, releasing the pressure on Shouji's arm slightly. "Next question - Have you ever heard of Quirk Marriages?" She asked, licking her lips.

At this, Tokoyami nodded, remembering the whole story behind Todoroki of their class. His father, Endeavour, married an ice user to give Todoroki the best of both Quirks, a power of fire and ice. Though there was no love behind the marriage, Todoroki was powerful and his Quirk was entirely his own. "Yes."

"Now then, last question - And this is a good one. Be sure to answer or Shouji loses an arm," She giggled.

"Akumi!" Hayate growled.

"So, what would my shadow manipulation Quirk and my husband's raven mutation create if we were to have a Quirk Marriage?"

Tokoyami frowned. "W-Well, if your husband had a mutative Quirk, it would mix with your genetics for the shadow manipulation Quirk and-"

And then his world stopped.

His mouth opened aghast, staring straight at this woman who had been quizzing him, for what purpose he had wondered, but that last question made it so very clear what she was trying to say.

Shaking his head, his face contorted into confusion, then to anger, "N-No... This has to be a joke!?"

"T-Toko?" Shouji asked, concern etched into his tone, the taller man wanting nothing more than to grab his friend and hold him away from all of this. "W-What is it?"

But Tokoyami wasn't listening, his eyes darting from Hayate who couldn't meet his eyes to that woman... That fiendish woman... **"Y-You're lying!"** He snapped with such anger that he could feel his fists trembling, the blood rushing to his head, his heartbeat in his ears.

"Fumikage... I wouldn't lie to you. I've wanted to meet you for so long," She whispered, taking a step towards the raven-headed boy. "I set up all of this just to finally meet you, to see how much you've grown since they took you from me."

Shouji's eyes snapped open at the sudden revelation, his mind going from concerned to horrified in the space of a moment.

"This is why I can call you Fumikage. Because I named you," She whispered sweetly, walking straight up to Tokoyami, who looked away meekly, tears falling from his eyes from the sheer shock of it all. But carefully, she leaned her hand against his feathers and softly stroked them, tenderly.

"Because I am your mother. Your biological mother."


	62. Clash of Enemies? The End of the Night!

**Chapter 62 - Clash of Enemies!? The End of the Night!?**

His entire life had been one huge lie. That was the single thought running through Tokoyami's head as his mind was reeling over that woman's vile words. Akumi Himura, the Crimson Shadow, was his biological mother? He wanted to scream, he wanted to break down and cry, but as he felt her stroking his feathers, calmly and tenderly, he only had one reaction in mind.

Though his eyes were wet with tears, with all of his force, he pushed Akumi violently backwards, letting out a sudden scream of rage before stumbling back towards the classroom wall in a vain attempt to separate himself from the woman who claimed to be his mother.

"F-Fumikage?" She stammered, blinking in confusion as she stared at her son, who was glaring at her with those fiery red eyes of his where moments before he had seemed to meekly accept the truth.

"Y-You..." He growled lowly, clenching his fists. Raising an arm to wipe away the tears, he could feel nothing but intense anger coursing through him as he channeled his anger into a loud scream of, "You are not my mother!"

"Of course I am," She chided quickly, a frown forming on her face as she lightly stepped towards her son. "I gave birth to you, I waited fifteen years to finally meet yo-"

"I do not care that you gave birth to me!" He shouted, slamming a fist against the wall in his fury, the concrete cracking from the force of his swing. "You waited fifteen years and your ideal reunion involved abducting one of my closest friends! How in the hell did you think I was going to take this?"

Shouji, from his spot, could see his friend breaking down as he spoke, his body trembling, eyes still watery despite his attempts to keep his composure and he wanted nothing more than to grab Tokoyami, scoop him up and hide him from the rest of these people. This wasn't a mission anymore, this had become personal and that fiend who called herself Tokoyami's mother...

"I've met Tokoyami's mother!" Shouji shouted out from his spot by the wall, Akumi glancing over at him with a murderous glare. "She is a kind, selfless woman who would do anything for her son, even allowing him to follow his dreams despite her own morals conflicting with his choices!" The compassion and anger in his own voice surprised him, but after he and Tokoyami were effectively the punching bags for these adults and their past issues, he didn't care any more.

"You, you're just a heartless witch trying to justify your own actions! So what if Hayate sent you away, so what if you were separated from your child! It doesn't take fifteen years to figure out how to be a good parent!" The shadows around his arm suddenly began to tighten, a strangled cry emerging from his deformed mouth as he felt his body keeling over from the pain.

Akumi's attention was now entirely on Shouji, her eyes alight with the fury that she was feeling inside. "How **dare** you tell me how I should look after my flesh and blood!" In an instant, she was right in front of Shouji, moving at a speed the others could not comprehend. "You are a freak and you do not deserve to have befriended my son," She hissed, right in Shouji's ear, her breath baring down on his neck in an uncomfortable fashion.

The next few seconds were sudden and jarring for Shouji, but looking back on the incident, he made the right call.

Through the pain and the fear surrounding him, Shouji managed a glance at his friend, at Tokoyami. And he could see that Tokoyami's eyes were crying out for help and pleading for this situation to be over. And with Airdriver and Hawks both still being unable to approach due to Akumi's shadows, he was his friend's only hope.

So he did the unthinkable.

A sickening crack sounded through the room, Shouji scrunching his eyes, screaming in utter agony, slamming one of his good arms straight into Akumi's face, pelting her backwards at full force. Before he could even register the intense pain, he was by Tokoyami's side, his friend looking at him fearfully with wide eyes.

"S-Shouji, you just-"

"Later Toko!" Shouji interrupted forcefully, grabbing his friend with one of his good arms, glancing back at the damage.

He had snapped his own wrist to pull it free of the shadow constricting it, one of his arms now hanging limply by his side, with every jostle sending an intense wave of pain through his body.

But it was worth it, for at that moment that Akumi was punched, her shadows weakened and the Pros were by their sides in a second. Hawks standing behind the pair, wings outstretched in a protective manner. Airdriver, on the other hand, was approaching Akumi, who was pulling herself up for the second time that night, absolutely fuming at the turn of events.

"Give it up, Akumi," Hayate stated coldly. "I won't allow you to harm them, now that they're out of your grasp."

"Y-You think this is where it ends?" Akumi spluttered, wiping some blood from her face where it seemed Shouji had shattered her nose with his punch. "Heh... Perhaps I underestimated that tall brat." Her eyes trained over to Shouji, who was glaring at her with that same fierceness she had seen within her son's eyes when he defied her. "Maybe you do deserve to be around my son, after all..."

Shouji wasn't sure how he felt at her words. Was there pride that he had somehow earned this woman's approval or disgust that she even felt she could monitor who came into contact with Tokoyami? He couldn't tell, but the one feeling keeping him up right now was the desire to protect Tokoyami, even as his vision began to blur from all the injuries he had sustained.

But he still stood. He wouldn't fall until she was gone.

"Stop this, Akumi. Please..." Hayate repeated, this time offering a hand outstretched.

Akumi's eyes widened at this gesture, looking to the hand, then to the ground, before a sly grin crossed her face.

Shadows erupted from the floor beneath Hayate, slicing upwards as he jumped back instantly to avoid being skewered, only to raise his hand and lower it sharply, a strong burst of wind erupting from his gauntlet. With Hawks by the two students and them all being behind him, he had no reason to not use his attacks, the strike hitting Akumi square in the chest.

Her body was flung backwards into the classroom wall, shattering it in an instant as bricks and mortar flew across the room. Hawks quickly reacted, lowering his wings protectively around Tokoyami and Shouji, shielding the two younger boys from the rubble as Airdriver dashed forwards through the whole to follow up his attack.

However Akumi was already standing, her shadows raring for a fight as she spat out a patch of blood that was leaking from her mouth, the woman grinning from ear to ear.

"Just like old times, right Noboru?" She taunted, her shadows slicing through the hallway towards Airdriver who deftly began to dodge them, using the fans in his gauntlets in the same fashion as he had when they first arrived to avoid the majority of her shadowy strikes. Though a few cuts made it through here and there, the man taking a step back as small gashes appeared in his costume.

"You haven't lost your edge," He replied gruffly, before raising both of his hands and slashing them in a cross pattern downwards, a torrent of wind-based energy slicing through the air in a cross shape.

This time though, Akumi was prepared, deftly dodging out of the way herself to dash forwards towards her target. "You were always weak up close!" She announced, swinging a shadow-fueled punch straight into Airdriver's gut before he could dodge, the older man crying out in agony as he was forced backwards a few steps, keeling over for a moment from the pain. "Never much of a melee fighter, where you?" She mocked, raising her dark boot to slam down on his back.

Airdriver, at the last moment, let out a burst of wind from his right gauntlet to roll out of the way, pushing himself back into a standing position before she could retaliate.

"You'll have to try harder than that if you want to kill me, Akumi," He stated coldly, wiping the blood trickling from his mouth. But as he glanced around, noticing they had moved far enough down the hallway that Hawks and the two students wouldn't be able to hear anything they said. Hawks was probably keeping them back from the fighting, knowing they couldn't take much more of it. "So why the hell do you want Fumikage now, after fifteen years?" He asked, stepping back towards the main stairwell.

Idly, he wondered whether Ice Scream and Chargevolt had managed to get back up yet. He could probably go and fight for a few more minutes easily, but one of them was bound to slip up and he couldn't afford to reach that point where it was he who took the injury.

"He's my son," She deadpanned. "I wanted to reconnect with him."

"By attempting to murder his friend, good choice, great parenting," He snarked back, well aware that she'd rise to the bait.

Which she did, snarling and slamming another set of shadows straight towards him, which he deftly dodged, bursting forwards straight towards her. Raising his right hand, he slammed it into her side, knocking Akumi backwards and over the stairwell railing where she plummeted down towards the ground floor.

Hopping down straight after her, he saw her shadows cushion the blow, Akumi pulling herself back into a fighting position as she brushed some dirt off of her clothing. "It seems he was a lost cause today anyway," She replied, Airdriver quickly realizing she was addressing his early question. "I had actually planned to recruit him, but that Hero school got to him first. Still, what can you do."

"Recruit him? You clearly don't know your son very well if you thought you ever had a chance at recruiting him to your side," Hayate coldly stated, glancing up in the direction of the classroom. "He's a good man, just like Shouta was..." Hayate's voice trembled at mentioning the name of his former friend, wistfully looking back to Akumi with a sad expression. "When I look at him, I see Shouta, you know, but I don't see you."

Akumi shook her head slowly, but rather than fire another shadow, she turned. "I don't disagree with your assessment, Noboru," She explained, shrugging her shoulders. "I see my husband in him, it's why I sought him out. But he's made his choice very clear and I won't show him mercy the next time I see him."

"Next time?"

Suddenly, his eyes widened, snapping to the space beside Akumi. For suddenly the air beside her began to contort and twist, pulling itself in as a sudden eruption of purple mist began to release itself into the airspace. As this happened, Hayate could hear movement from upstairs as Hawks, with Shouji and Tokoyami being helped along, emerged to the scene as they got down the first flight of stairs.

Tokoyami and Shouji both tensed up as the scene unfolded, the purple mist forming into a large portal of purple, a familiar figure to the pair stepping through as they came face to face with a suit-wearing being of darkness with bright yellow burning eyes.

"Sorry that I am late, Akumi, there was an incident in Hosu City that we had to take care of," The dignified voice of that purple fiend stated, surveying the surroundings. And then his eyes rested on the young Heroes under Hawks' wings, his gaze intensifying as what could be considered a frown formed on his features. "You... Tall one, you stopped me back in the USJ. Akumi, you did not tell me your son was one of those children."

"To be fair, my son didn't know he was my son so you're not the only one who was out of the loop, Kurogiri," She shrugged, backing up towards the dark purple portal.

"That guy is with The League of Villains!" Tokoyami called out with a shout. "If she steps through that portal, you'll lose her!"

Airdriver, at that information, launched forwards, but Akumi parried his strike with a shadow, Kurogori launching a solid portion of mist straight into his stomach to knock Airdriver back. "Hawks!?"

"On it!" He shouted, taking to the air away from the two boys, launching his feathers in a flourish towards the villains.

"Well, it's been an entertaining reunion at least, Fumikage. I'll see you again soon," Akumi laughed, licking some blood from her face as she hopped backwards, straight through the purple mist, Kurogiri following her as well, his eyes trained on the two children as he too vanished into the smoke.

And as quickly as it came, the mist collapsed and dissipated into the air, Airdriver attempting to grasp at the portal, slipping right through to the ground below as it vanished around him. "Damnit! We lost her!"

Hawks landed briefly next to his old mentor, looking towards the open entrance of the school where finally he could see that backup they'd asked for arriving in the distance, various officers racing towards the scene. "We recovered Shouji, that was the mission," Hawks stated calmly, glancing back up the two students who were helping each other down the stairs, both looking fairly exhausted. "You've got bigger things to worry about than her. Once they're well, Tsukuyomi will be coming to you for information on his past."

Pushing up off of the floor, Airdriver solemnly nodded. "I'm aware. This was going to happen one day and I'm glad that if anyone has to tell him the truth now, it's the one who caused it all in the first place..."

As the two continued to talk quietly, Tokoyami and Shouji found themselves running out of energy rather quickly, with Tokoyami finally giving up on walking any further, allowing himself to slump onto the stairs, Shouji joining him fairly quickly. The pair of them were breathing heavily and the adrenaline from the entire situation was beginning to slowly wear off.

"That happened," Shouji muttered silently.

"That did happen, yes," Tokoyami replied. "I... There's a lot running through my mind right now, but right now I'm just glad you're safe, Shouji."

"I think I should be saying the same thing to you," Shouji mirthlessly chuckled, taking a deep breath through his actual mouth, his teeth glinting as the police began to arrive, flashlights lighting up the hall. "A-About this..." He muttered, gesturing to his face. "I think I owe you an explanation."

"Save it," Tokoyami waved off, much to his friend's surprise. "We're both exhausted. You've got a broken wrist, a deep cut in one of your arms, a bruised head while I've got emotional trauma, family issues, a cut up leg and a Quirk that passed out on me... I just..."

"Tomorrow then," Shouji smiled, resting a good arm around Tokoyami's shoulder, pulling him close.

Tokoyami accepted the closeness, nestling himself into his friend's grip as he found himself beginning to feel tired. "Tomorrow..." He mumbled back, wanting to just forget his troubles for a little while.

When the two pro Heroes turned back to check on Shouji and Tokoyami, medics at hand, they found that the two had fallen asleep on the stairway, leaning against each other as that dreadful night came to an end.

While Airdriver went through a quick interview with the police who had just arrived, it was up to Hawks to ensure that the two students would make it safely into the Ambulance, helping to lift Shouji while the medics took Tokoyami on the stretcher. Stepping out into the fresh cold air of the night, Hawks let his eyes rest on the boy he was carrying.

He was wrong about Mezou Shouji, so very wrong.

The devotion he had towards Tokoyami was second-to-none, even to the point of standing up to a pro-villain to the point of snapping his own wrist just to get a punch at her. Without his bravery in that moment, he wasn't sure how the rest of the confrontation would have gone. He didn't want to think about how the rest of the confrontation could have gone.

These two boys had been through the ringer though, but they showed more promise than they had any right to. Perhaps it was putting them in a crisis situation, but he had to wonder if Class 1-A, the class who had experienced the USJ attacks, was all like this. This devoted and righteous.

"Two attacks in one night," One of the medics muttered. "Did you hear, Hawks, the attack in Hosu City, apparently they caught the Hero-killer Stain."

Hawks widened his eyes, looking at the medics in surprise as they reached the ambulance. "The Hero-killer? Who caught him?"

"Apparently some kids from that Class 1-A got attacked and Endeavour stepped in, sorted out the situation."

Handing over the now unconscious Shouji, Hawks mind was racing beyond belief. On the same night, five out of the twenty students from Class 1-A of U.A.'s Hero Course had been caught up in villain attacks and if that medic was to be believed, all of them made it out in one piece.

"Heh... I'll have to keep tabs on this class."


	63. Awakening? Prepping for the Past?

**Chapter 63 - Awakening!? Prepping for the Past!?**

The first thing Fumikage felt was a full ache that seemed to spread across his entire body, his arms, legs, all his joints, aching with a familiar pain of over-exertion. He became aware that his eyes were shut soon after, taking a deep breath as his eyes drooped open to reveal a bright white ceiling staring down at him. Letting his gaze drift around as his mind began to slowly awaken, he took in that he was in a closed off room.

A bright blue cover sat over him, as he slowly craned his neck to see exactly where he was. A tiled black and white floor and the smell of disinfectants were what greeted him, shifting his gaze to the left where he could see a small desk sitting at his bedside. Atop the desk was a small vase with a few decorative flowers, nothing special, as well as a small bottle of water that held a small slip of paper underneath.

Pushing himself upwards, ignoring the dull aching of his bones, he reached out to grasp the slip of paper, noticing a familiar scrawl written upon it. _"Drink this when you wake up. I'll be by later to check up on you. Hayate."_

Without hesitation, he grasped the bottle next to his, unscrewing the lid, tilting his beak back and taking a large gulp of water, suddenly aware of just how thirsty he was. He wasn't exactly sure where he was, though as he glanced past his desk, he could see some spare medical equipment sitting in the corner of the room. "Hospital..." He muttered to himself, pulling himself up into a sitting position.

Glancing down at his body, he could see he was in one of those rather tacky hospital gowns, much to his displeasure. Glancing beneath the cover and lifting up the gown by his legs, he quickly did a check of the cut that he remembered sustaining during the school raid, noticing that the cut itself had been cleaned and disinfected while he was asleep. Though, with no Recovery Girl to speed the healing along, he imagined he'd be dealing with that injury until they returned to U.A.

It was then that he noticed a ticking sound to his right, glancing up at the wall in that direction to see a small wall clock. According to the clock, it was five in the afternoon, extremely late, but he had to admit he hadn't been put through as much strain as he had the night before in a long time. The last thing he remembered, he'd fallen asleep on Shouji's side and the rest was history.

But where was Shouji?

That was when he noticed, past the wall clock, a bed similar to his own, was set up around ten paces away. And the familiar form of his close friend was asleep under the covers, aside from two of his arms, which were suspended in casts that seemed to be attached to his shoulders. He remembered Shouji mentioning once how wounds were fine to bear as long as they weren't to his main pair of arms, so he was glad to see that the two arms that had been affected were duplicates and not the originals.

Aside from that, there was also a bandage wrapped around Shouji's forehead, no doubt where he had been bruised up in the attack, but what Tokoyami found most striking was that he didn't have his mask on. With it being ripped off in the battle, he'd probably need to wait until they got back to the hotel to actually put on a new mask, which meant that his friend was vulnerable as he was right now. Still, Tokoyami looked at the reptilian mouth and those pearly white teeth and smiled.

Who cares how his friend looked? What matters was that he was safe, safe and sound.

 **"F-Fumikage?"** Glancing to his left, he could see Dark Shadow had managed to form himself in Fumikage's lap, the dark purple creature curling up as his yellow eyes glanced from Shouji back to his owner with a look of confusion. **"I looked back through your memories after I was knocked out..."** He whispered, barely audible.

Tokoyami gave a grim smile, resting a hand on his Quirk as he began to pet him. "I am sorry that happened to you..."

 **"Not your fault,"** Dark Shadow stated back, looking over to Shouji. **"Just glad you both got away from that witch in one piece."**

"I guess you could say that," He muttered quietly, Dark Shadow giving him a stern side-eyed glare at that.

 **"She's not our mother."**

"No, she is not," He agreed. "Biology is a small part of what it means to be a parent, after all..." The unease in Tokoyami's voice was not lost on Dark Shadow, however, who wasn't convinced that he was entirely okay with what was going on.

 **"Y'know... It's okay to be mad..."** Dark Shadow silently stated, **"I am."**

Tokoyami didn't reply, leaning back against his pillow as he stared up at the bright white ceiling, stopping the conversation there. He did not want to have this talk right now, not after he'd just woken up. No matter how much Dark Shadow wanted to discuss the elephant in the room, he shook his head and decided to do a few breathing exercises to pass the time, closing his eyes and taking in a few deep breaths.

 **"How's Shouji?"** Dark Shadow finally asked, around ten minutes later, Tokoyami opening his eyes to glance over at the boy in question.

"I don't know," He admitted with a melancholic look. "His arms aren't permanently damaged but I imagine he'll be stuck in those casts until we get back to U.A. to see Recovery Girl."

 **"That's rough..."** Dark Shadow commented, drifting silently over towards the other bed to get a closer look at the sleeping boy.

Tokoyami leaned back once more, glancing towards the window that was past Shouji's bed, looking outside to see a few tall buildings and a bright blue sky, lighting up their small hospital room with a warm glow that he welcomed with open arms. For one moment, he wanted nothing more than for the darkness to take the day off and leave him be, give him a break.

After all, the shadows only reminded him of her.

Dark Shadow stretched back over to Tokoyami before settling around his shoulders to rest alongside him, letting out a small yawn, much to Tokoyami's amusement. Seeing his Quirk so relaxed, or at least so tired, was a rare sight and he found himself wishing that this quiet would last forever. Taking another sip of his water, he idly glanced towards the hospital doors, tempted to ask a nurse or a doctor about what was going on, but deciding to ultimately keep silent.

It was another thirty minutes before he heard movement off to his right, Tokoyami sitting back up, leaning on his right elbow to glance over at the other bed, where finally he could see his friend was slowly beginning to awaken. Shouji let out a rather irritated groan, two of his good arms raised to shield his slowly opening eyes from the light of the orange sky filtering in through the glass.

Shouji slowly lifted his head up, breath intaking sharply as he made sure not to jostle the bandages around his skull, nor interrupt the slings that he had noticed two of his arms were currently strapped into. He glanced to the right first, looking out of the window with a face Tokoyami couldn't see, before glancing to the left to see the pair staring at him.

"Good evening," Tokoyami called out, relief evident in his voice.

"Evening," Shouji grunted, lifting himself into a sitting position with the rest of his arms, his head leaning against the pillow that he had positioned against his headboard. "How long were we out?"

"A day, I think?" Tokoyami theorized with a shrug. "I don't know for sure, but the clock says it's coming up to six in the afternoon," He explained, gesturing to the wall clock, which Shouji decided he'd use one of his good arms to look at to avoid craning his neck too much.

 **"You had us worried,"** Dark Shadow admitted, flitting straight across to Shouji's bed to give the taller boy a rather irritated glare. **"You're crazy, Shouji! Absolutely crazy!"**

Shouji couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at that, "After last night, I think we're all a little crazy."

"We all had our moments of weakness," Tokoyami agreed somberly, trying to ignore that sinking feeling inside of his stomach as he tried to ignore the fact that his life had changed whether he wanted it to or not.

Shouji, ever the attentive one, noticed his worried face right away, stating very quickly and very sternly, "What's wrong, Toko?"

 **"He's just being moody,"** Dark Shadow bawked in annoyance. **"Won't even admit he's upset."**

"There's just a lot going through my head right now, that's all," Tokoyami tried to explain. He wasn't lying per say, he definitely had a lot to think about, but all the fears that were slowly beginning to open up thanks to his newfound revelation were beginning to make themselves known.

He'd have to hear the whole story from Airdriver and he wasn't sure how ready he was to hear about his birth and his adoption. He'd have to discover just who his foster parents really were to his biological parents, and he wasn't looking forward to the chat he'd have to have with his mother and father when he returned home after the week was over. How would they react to the news that he was aware of his heritage?

His mother would feel guilty, he knew that. She cared deeply for him and seeing that his birth-mother was a literal psychopath, he could understand why the secret was kept for so long. He'd felt angry in that moment that he found out, but responsible Heroes continued onwards, regardless of the news or situation, right? Did he have a right to feel angry when, from a logical standpoint, he understood Hayate's decisions?

"So..." Shouji muttered loudly, bringing him out of his stupour. "I'm guessing our costumes got taken in for repairs or something."

"Probably," He replied. "Hayate said he'd come to check on us later, maybe even get us out of this place."

 **"I doubt either of you are leaving tonight in your states,"** Dark Shadow drawled, rolling his bright yellow eyes.

"Speak for yourself," Tokoyami countered back, watching as his Quirk settled back on the covers, clearly just as tired as the pair of them.

"At least we're alive," Shouji stated, letting out a breath he hadn't known he was holding in, eyes widening when he realized finally that it was through his actual mouth and that his mask was not on his face. For a moment, the taller boy froze up, a look on confusion, followed by a quick look of understanding flashing across his eyes as he muttered, "That's right... Last night I lost my mask."

"We could ask the doctors for a surgical mask or something," Tokoyami suggested meekly, but Shouji shook his head.

Shouji turned to face Tokoyami, making sure to avoid stretching his injured limbs, his face now in full view as Tokoyami got a look at his mouth in the light of the evening sun. Getting a closer look at Shouji's face, his observations from the night before were all accurate. Starting from his lower cheeks, his mouth opened from ear to ear in a jagged reptilian manner, much larger than the average mouth. His lips were less like actual lips and more like scars that rippled across his maw with wreckless abandon.

But the most notable features were those sharp white teeth, some of which were almost like fangs. It was like Shouji's mouth was made to rip stuff open and he didn't want to imagine what those teeth could do to a human if they were unlucky enough to end up caught in his maw. But he found that the concept didn't bother him like Shouji probably assumed it would. His look wasn't normal, but Tokoyami had been used to the prejudices of looking different. He felt he could understand Shouji to an extent.

"I'll be fine," Shouji stated, a twinge of nerves in his tone. "Y-You saw this last night, hiding it now would be fruitless."

"We did promise to chat about what was behind your mask," Tokoyami mirthlessly chuckled. "I had no clue that I would discover the truth in such a twisted fashion but I do not regret what I said last night."

"W-What you said last night?" Shouji stammered, blinking quickly as he tried to recall Tokoyami's exact words.

So when Tokoyami said those words aloud again, he wasn't expecting it.

"You're not hideous Shouji. You're beautiful, just as you are," Tokoyami muttered thoughtfully, more to himself as if he was trying to recall that moment. "Yeah, that's what I said, I think-" Tokoyami's words caught in his throat when he noticed Shouji was watching him with a mortified expression, cheeks bright red from embarrassment. "S-Shouji?"

 **"Without your mask, you can't hide how embarrassed you are,"** Dark Shadow sang, bursting into a fit of giggles soon after, much to Shouji's utter horror, the taller boy wanting nothing more than to shrink back into his covers and hide for all eternity.

"S-Sorry," Tokoyami stammered, feeling his own feathers heat up as he realized exactly what he'd said. "I guess I just meant to say, you look like Shouji to me, mask on or off. It does not change the fact that you are one of my closest friends and someone I treasure dearly..."

 **"Bahaha, you're making it worse, Fumi!"** Dark Shadow squawked, Shouji now leaning back into his bed, actually covering his face with his cover.

"S-Sorry again, this really is not my strong suit," Tokoyami rambled on awkwardly, glancing down at his bedsheets, unable to look his currently covered friend in the eyes out of sheer embarrassment.

"It's fine," Shouji squeaked from beneath the cover, slowly lifting it after his face had cooled down from that bright red shine. "I just... I'm not used to getting compliments about my face. It was sudden."

Dark Shadow loomed over the pair of them, rolling his eyes as he groaned, **"I've said it before and I'll say it again, you both are hopeless. You're friends, right? Just accept each other's compliments! You're worse than Midoriya, and nobody is worse than Midoriya at taking a compliment."**

That shut the pair of them up, Shouji glancing towards the window where he could just see the reflection of his expression in the mirror.

And it occurred to him that he hadn't seen how he'd looked when he was embarrassed before without wearing his mask. Seeing how his cheeks were somewhat flushed with colour and how his mouth was curled into a look of uncertainty, he found himself captivated for a moment by his own view, wondering just how crazy it was that Fumikage was able to elicit such a response from him.

Yep, that crush wasn't going away.

But like hell he was mentioning that after everything that had happened, as much as he knew Dark Shadow would love it if he just admitted his feelings for Tokoyami. It didn't feel like the right time, nor did it feel like an appropriate time. They were both still vulnerable and needed time to heal, plus he wasn't ready for the inevitable rejection as he felt Tokoyami was still attracted to Midoriya.

"That school..." Fumikage suddenly stated, startling Shouji out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"That school, Irube Elementary..." He repeated. "When you heard that name, you began to freak out somewhat. I don't... I do not want you to answer if you do not want to, but I am curious."

Shouji leaned back against his pillow, those pesky feelings dimming down as he was graced with a subject change, though he had to admit he wasn't a big fan of the new subject either. "Irube Elementary was where I used to go to school while I lived here in Fukuoka..." Shouji clenched a fist as the memories of his times in that school building slowly began to return, before muttering, "...When I didn't wear my mask."

"Is that place why you started wearing your mask?" He asked, voice lowered to a whisper as if someone might overhear them.

The slow nod from Shouji was enough to confirm his worries, Tokoyami letting those words sink in.

His biological mother had kidnapped Shouji and researched him to ensure she'd pick a location that would be relevant to his childhood. And she knew that Shouji had a bad history with the school, she had to, so that continued to confirm in his mind just how horrible Akumi truly was. She was truly a manipulative and sadistic individual if she felt that messing with Shouji's emotions was a thrill to her.

It made him feel ill just thinking about that grin on her face when she revealed the school's name the night before.

"Toko, I want you to know, I came to terms with why I had to wear my mask long ago. My reasons may come from a place of hurt, but I chose to wear my mask as a mark of pride. If you want, I'll tell you the whole story. I promised, after all."

"Shouji..."

 **"I won't interrupt ya,"** Dark Shadow stated, curling down beside Tokoyami, his yellow eyes staring at the taller boy, who was now looking towards them with a look of determination.

"It all started when I was a young boy..."


	64. Mezou Shouji? Origin?

**Chapter 64 - Mezou Shouji!? Origin!?**

 _The cool spring air was the first thing that greeted the young Mezou Shouji as he stepped out of the car his parents owned, eyes shining wide-eyed at the large building that stood before him, the wrought iron gates_ _thrown open as various different children trundled in towards their first day of school that year. For Shouji, this was his first day at Irube Elementary, the large two-story building being the only school he could attend for miles._

 _Adjusting one of his many arms, he glanced back at the light blue car, where his mother, a middle-aged woman with chestnut brown hair and a beaming smile, gave him a small wave with one of her many arms. His father, who was next to her, also gave him a smile. His father, however, had a reptilian mouth, which was larger than most average mouths, stretching back towards his cheeks. Still, aside from a rather long tongue that he could use at will, it seemed the man was no different from anyone else._

 _Shouji never realized that his own appearance, however, was anything but normal to the kids of the school. Giving his family a wave of his own, he turned around, pulling up his camo-coloured backpack, before marching straight through the gates excitably. He was only eight years old, having just transferred to this school after his old one closed down. He didn't have many friends back then, but that was because he was too busy studying and nobody really bothered him. They were always so interested in each other's Quirks and never him._

 _Though, as he walked down the path towards the front doors of the school, he could feel in the back of his mind that there were eyes watching him, a feeling that he wasn't entirely used to, he had to admit. Glancing around, he could see other students glancing his way, their faces unreadable. But he paid them no heed, believing everything to be perfectly normal. He was the new kid, after all, and he was entering third grade, so the class he'd be joining probably was already quite close._

 _That was fine by him, he just wanted to study and learn so he could reach his goal._

 _His goal of becoming a Hero._

 _Though, there was a moment of surprise when he went to the school's front desk, only for the school secretary to jump back startlingly as he approached. "Oh, did something scare you?" He asked with concern, as the woman's wide eyes faded as instantly as they came._

 _She stammered across her words, "N-N-No, not at all, uh, sorry, are you a new student?" She asked, glancing down at her papers._

 _"Yeah, I'm Mezou Shouji, it's my first day here," He smiled optimistically._

 _"R-Right, let's see here... Uh... You're to head to the 2nd floor, turn left,_ first _classroom on your right," She explained, a slight tremor in her voice. Grabbing a piece of paper, she passed it to Shouji, who grabbed it with one of his spare hands, before glancing down at the information._

 _It was a schedule of his classes, information about the school, all the normal stuff. None of the rules seemed very different to the last school he was at, so with a smile and a wave, he dashed off towards the stairs, hoping to get to the classroom as quickly as he could._

 _Still, had he been slower, he might have noticed the way the secretary watched him with a fear in her eyes. For his appearance was something she had never seen in her life._

 _When Shouji arrived at the classroom, many of the students had already sat down, so he quietly made his way to the back of the class, not really feeling like talking. If people wanted to talk with him, he was sure they'd approach him, that's how he did it in his last school. He moved to the farthest corner of the class and took his seat, but again he could feel eyes on him as he walked._

 _This time, he could feel a slight prickling down his spine, a feeling that he hadn't really felt before. He wasn't sure how to take it._

 _"Settle down class," A rather ragged skinny looking man stated, walking into the room a minute later, everyone falling silent and taking their seats._

 _The rather ragged teacher glanced around the room, then down to his register, before calling out, "It seems that we have a new student joining us this year."_

 _Shouji could feel everyone's eyes turn to him, but rather than feel put off by the attention, he simply waited, glancing around at the students who were now watching him with a somewhat bemused expression._

 _"Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?"_

 _Nodding, Shouji glanced around and stated, "I'm Mezou Shouji. I came here after my old school closed down, that's about it really."_

 _After his brief introduction, the class began and Shouji gratefully was able to focus on his work. He needed to get good grades if he wanted to be a Hero after all. All in all, he felt he'd made a great first impression, still too young to notice how the teacher would never directly look him, nor how the students stared at him with curiosity and fear in their eyes._

 _His first day flew by in an instant, with lunch being a pretty quiet affair as he picked a spot alone to sit, doing some light reading until the next class, which passed just as quickly as the previous ones. The day was over before he knew it._

 _"How was your first day, kiddo?" Shouji's father asked, when they picked him up from school, Shouji giving him a small smile and a shrug._

 _"It went well, I guess. Not much happened," He explained, before launching into details about what he'd been learning that day to his father, who nodded along to his words. "There was something a little weird though," Shouji muttered as he reached the end of his story._

 _"What is it?" His father asked curiously._

 _Shouji furrowed his brow, brushing away his silver hair as he looked at himself with an odd expression. "I don't know why, but it felt like I was being watched."_

 _"Oh really?" His father replied, Shouji still too inexperienced with people to notice how his tone was a little more serious than normal._

 _"Yeah, I guess it's because I'm the new kid. The secretary seemed a bit jumpy this morning too, now that I think about it..."_

 _"Jumpy? Was she scared?"_

 _Shouji nodded. "She looked like she'd seen a ghost," He chuckled, unaware of his Father's crinkled brow as they pulled up outside their house a few miles away. "Well, I've got homework to do."_

 _Shouji's father got out of the car, helping Shouji out before ruffling his hair up in a caring manner, "You go get your work done, kiddo."_

 _"Right!" With that, Shouji sprinted towards the house, not noticing the look of concern on his father's face._

 _It was later that evening after Shouji had gone to sleep, that his father decided it was the best time to bring up what he heard to his wife about their son. With a rather concerned expression, he began to explain what Shouji had told him in the car._

 _"They're scared of him," He finally stated, taking a deep breath as he took a swig of his alcoholic drink from the stress of his story._

 _"He's been there one day," She replied back, folding all six of her arms to mean business. "Remember the last school, same problem, it sorted itself out."_

 _"That was when he was six." Glancing towards Shouji's bedroom door, he let out a deep sigh. "Children can be cruel as they're growing up. Trust me, I know..."_

 _Raising an arm towards his face, his fingers traced the line of his reptilian mouth all the way to his cheeks, feeling a shiver wash down his spine as he glanced over at his wife, who was watching him with a concerned expression of her own now. His eyes betrayed a deep sadness as he tried to give her a reassuring smile._

 _"It's not your fault," She whispered, leaning forwards to clasp his hands in hers, her melancholic smile and warm touch a reminder that he hadn't truly failed as a father._

 _"I know I shouldn't blame myself, Yui," He muttered quietly, pulling his arms away from his wife to brush some of his silver curly hair back from his eyes. "It's just... His face, the mutation was because of my Quirk."_

 _Yui shook her head though, once again clasping his hands, tighter this time. "Kaito, stop blaming yourself. There is nothing wrong with_ our boy _that we could have prevented," She whispered, giving her husband the warmest smile she could. "There are tons of kids who look a little odd nowadays. Shouji's just special in his own way."_

 _"Perhaps you're right," Kaito muttered. "You're always right, after all," He chuckled, leaning forward to plant a quick kiss on Yui's cheek before pushing himself up from the sofa. "Still, as a parent, if I could make a wish, it would be that his mouth could have formed like everyone else."_

 _"I get that," She nodded sadly. "If he looked like everyone else, we wouldn't have to worry about him fitting in like we are tonight." Glancing over to her son's room, Yui knew that her husband held a grain of truth in his words. In the harsh reality of the real world, people_ got _judged on their appearances all the time._

 _Shouji had been born with a deformity due to an early birth. They had tried to have children before and failed, so when it seemed like Mezou was going to end up the same way, they attempted a cesarian birth and were lucky enough that their baby was alive. Had they waited any longer than they did, he would have been lost to the world. But with the early birth, complications arose._

 _He had Quirk chromosomes from both of his parents, but his father's Quirk had not been fully developed. Removing him from the womb before it could fully develop left Shouji's mouth jagged and misformed, a rather grim visage greeting them as Mezou grew up. And while his smile was as wide as the eye could see, that deformity would be with him for the rest of his life._

 _"I'm so grateful to have my child," She muttered, Kaito glancing down at her as she continued to stare at his bedroom door._

 _"We're the luckiest parents in the world, I believe that," He agreed with a chuckle. "Parenthood isn't all it's cracked up to be, but it's totally worth it for Mezou."_

* * *

 _It was a few weeks into the semester when things changed._

 _Shouji had made himself known as the quiet outcast of the class, not really wanting to talk with anyone as he'd rather focus on his studies than play with the other kids. It wasn't that he didn't like the other kids, he just didn't feel the need to bother them if he had other things to do. So he would_ _spend_ _their recess on the sidelines of the outdoor field, near one of the shaded trees._

 _People had learned to leave him alone and he was fine with that._

 _But one day, while sitting by his tree, he heard a cry for help and everything changed for the worse._

 _Glancing up from the book he was reading, his eyes drifted around the field, trying to spot the source of the cry for help, finally pinpointing it to a group of students near the back end of the field, far enough away from the teachers that they wouldn't be bothered. Another cry for help and he was up, walking towards the three boys who were surrounding a young girl, who was backed against the iron bars of the school_ _perimeter._

 _Mezou wanted to be a Hero after all, and if this young girl was crying out for help, he'd give it his best shot and try to help her out, especially after seeing those three boys threateningly step towards her._

 _"So, you gonna give us your lunch money, or are we gonna have to make you give it to us," One young boy, a particularly beefy-looking kid, rumbled._

 _A taller, lankier child, was holding the girl's backpack, looking ready to spill the contents to the ground, while the rather plain looking boy to their right was trying to seem threatening, even though he was failing rather badly._

 _"Hey, what are you three doing?" He called out, the boys turning around at his voice to see him, the beefy boy's eyes widening in surprise._

 _It was the tall one who spoke first, stating, "What are you looking at, new kid?"_

 _"Are you bullying this girl?" He asked, though the girl in question had already huddled up against the wall and wasn't looking at any of them at this point. She hadn't even seen him approach._

 _"So what if we are?" The beefy boy stated through clenched teeth. "You think you can take us on, tough guy?"_

 _"I want to be a Hero, you're being rude to this girl, so yeah, I think I can take you on," Shouji replied confidently, clenching all six of his fists and raising them._

 _The rotund boy motioned for his two lackeys to take a step back, raising his beefy arm before stating, "This one thinks he can be a Hero? He's mine."_

 _With a loud cry, the boy charged forwards, swinging towards Shouji's face. Mezou ducked quickly, his body training allowing him to move quicker than the boy, to punch him in the side with a jab. The beefy boy stumbled backwards from the blow, landing on his backside in surprise. His two lackeys glanced at him in shock, then to Shouji in fear._

 _"W-What are you, some kind of monster?" The average boy stammered, taking a step backwards._

 _"Yeah, that's totally it. You're not a Hero, you're a scary monster," The taller boy sneered, moving back towards their fallen comrade. It seemed he definitely had the most attitude out of the three kids at least. "C'mon dude, we'll get him back later."_

 _"You'll regret that new kid," The beefy boy stated as his friends lifted him up from the ground, dropping the girl's backpack on the ground as they retreated._

 _With the three boys on the retreat, Shouji quickly grabbed the young girl's backpack before slowly approaching her trembling form by the wall. "Hey, I got your bag," He stated casually, glad that he was able to retrieve the young six-year old's bag._

 _The girl, looking up sharply in surprise, stared up at her saviour, but rather than say thank you like Shouji was expecting, she let out a terrible scream._

 _Shouji stumbled backwards as she let out a terrified wail, loud enough that everyone on the playground could probably hear it, but he couldn't tell why she was screaming. What had gotten her so scared?_

 _"What's going on here?"_

 _Spinning around, still holding the girl's bag, Shouji came face to face with one of the teachers who was monitoring the children, a stern look on his face as he stared at the girl, then to Shouji. "Did you make her cry?" He asked forcefully._

 _"Wha, no-"_

 _"Yes, he did Sir," A familiar voice called out, Shouji's head snapping towards those retreated cowards, who were now standing behind the teacher with menacing grins. The tall one had called that out._

 _"He came up to us while we were playing with her and punched me right in the side!" The beefy boy explained._

 _"Y-Yeah, he's a monster!" The average boy stuttered._

 _Shouji was about to reply when he felt his hand grabbed by the teacher, the girl's bag dropping to the floor as the girl stared at him with fear in her eyes. Shouji didn't even know what to say at that moment, having never been grabbed like this by someone before, let alone a teacher with such force. It jolted him into silence, the six-armed boy being dragged away across the playground towards the school building without a chance to explain himself._

 _When his parents arrived, having been called in, he looked at them with sheer confusion and utter fear in his eyes. He had no idea how the situation had gotten out of hand. And the teacher had grabbed him._

 _"Our son would never hurt someone maliciously!" His mother angrily snapped at the school headmaster._

 _His father, meanwhile, looked down at his confused son with a guilty expression, very much aware of something that Shouji didn't seem to quite grasp._

 _"Mezou! Tell this man you didn't hurt that girl!" Yui desperately asked, looking to her son with a stressed-out look._

 _Shouji, shaking and trembling from the experience, having never experienced being in such trouble before, could only shake his head, his mind somewhere else completely. Yui looked to her son despairingly, then back to the teacher._

 _But when Shouji finally spoke up, his parent's hearts collectively broke._

 _"W-Why did that g-girl scream at me?"_

 _Kaito couldn't meet his son's eyes, placing a hand to his face in utter horror, is mother placing a hand to her mouth in sudden understanding. She glanced to her husband, who looked absolutely horrified at what had taken place, the pair now getting the situation at hand._

 _"A-Am I a monster?"_

 _"No, no, no, no, Mezou," Yui comforted, moving down to her son and pulling him close. "God no, you're not a monster. It's not your fault, it's not your fault," She whispered, rubbing his back caringly._

 _His father, meanwhile, was talking quietly to the headmaster, explaining the situation as they saw it, having realized quite quickly why this girl had screamed in the first place. His father apologetically looked towards him, his expression laden with guilt._

 _It was decided that they would take Mezou home after the meeting, with Yui and Kaito coming to a consensus that they'd need to have a serious discussion with their son..._

 _"Mezou, you know how your mouth looks different to the other kids?" Yui asked her son once they were home, Shouji sitting motionlessly on the chair across from them. Wordlessly, he gave a nod. "That girl at school, she's not used to you, so when she looked at you, she... she..." A calm hand on her shoulder from her husband and she finished her sentence, "..she was scared."_

 _"Son, when you were a baby, you came a little earlier than expected," His father explained carefully, trying to keep the subject as light as possible. They didn't need any tears that day. "Because of that, your mouth didn't form like the other kids."_

 _"O-Okay..." Shouji nodded._

 _"I talked with the headmaster and he says that you'll need to cover up your mouth from now on," Kaito explained with a sad expression._

 _"B-But I need my mouth to talk," He trembled with concern._

 _That's when his mother spoke up, putting a smile on her face as she said, "You can use your arms! You can make a mouth with your arms and use it as Quirk practice, for being a Hero, right?" She suggested quickly, though looking back it was clear she hated this idea as much as her father. It was just a way to pacify Shouji to the idea of wearing a mask._

 _"I do want to be a Hero..." Shouji muttered. "I-I'll cover my mouth and be a great Hero then!"_

 _"T-That's the spirit," His father stammered, his facade beginning to crack. "Why don't you run along and we'll sort things out, alright?"_

 _"O-Okay," Shouji nodded, his voice somewhat downcast as he headed to his room, mind still lingering on how the teacher had grabbed him that day. He didn't like that._

 _He didn't notice his parents silently letting a few tears fall at his expense as he left the room, nor how his father seemed so much sadder after that._

* * *

"Ever since that day, the kids at school would constantly harass and bully me," Shouji explained silently, holding the hospital covers close to his chest. "It got so bad that I began to have small breakdowns in class. That was when my parents decided to move away, where I was able to have a better life."

Tokoyami didn't know what to say. A person's childhood could reflect so much into their teenage years. Shouji had been bullied about his appearance to the point where his school had forced him to hide his mouth, as if it were some shameful sight. Midoriya had been harassed by Bakugou his whole childhood, to the point where the One For All user had a crippling nervousness around the boy.

He could only sympathise... This story was what was holding Shouji back, what kept him chained up all this time and as far as Tokoyami knew, those chains weren't going to instantly break. He wasn't going to be instantly cured of that fear.

The harshest wounds could only heal with time.

Time and support.

"So that's the story," Shouji muttered bitterly. "But there was a grain of truth in their words..."

"A grain of truth?" Tokoyami repeated.

"Yeah... A Hero needs to be welcoming and kind. Let's say I was saving someone in a fire, or in a dark alley, and I couldn't afford them to scream in surprise at my deformities. The mask helps, keeps people calm," He explained. "I don't see my mask as a burden, as much as it is just one of my tools... It's what's under the mask that I've had trouble dealing with."

 **"You look cute either way,"** Dark Shadow suddenly said, much to the embarrassment of the two boys, who both turned to Dark Shadow with their own murderous expressions - Tokoyami wanting to kill his Quirk for saying something so very personal, Shouji wanting to kill the Quirk for yet again teasing him with his words. **"Oh come on, you called him beautiful. Cute is a step back after that compliment Fumi-"**

"That is enough of your chattering," Tokoyami snapped, pulling Dark Shadow back towards him with a sharp tug. Glancing over to Shouji, an apology at the ready, Shouji beat him to the punch.

"Before you say anything, it's fine, Toko," Shouji stated with a small smile. "Y-You listened to my story... That's all I can really ask for..."

Shouji looked away, back at the covers as Tokoyami stared at his friend with fascination. How Shouji had managed to grow from his weakness, to use his mask that had once kept him locked away, as a strength to console and reassure others, was inspiring to say the least. His friend may not have had the most tragic backstory in the world as he had sometimes imagined, but it was a real personal struggle, something that shouldn't have had to happen.

"You really are an amazing friend, Shouji," Tokoyami stated out of the blue.

Shouji blinked, looked back at his friend's look of conviction and slightly ruffled feathers, before muttering, "You're an amazing friend too Tokoyami. I... I think after last night I'm more confident. I didn't let my features define me and I'm going to move forwards stronger now... So don't let your features define you, alright? That woman... She doesn't define you."

In that moment, Tokoyami could see the Hero that Shouji wanted to be shining in front of him, a wise paragon of protection, someone who had truly cast aside his past to live in the future. Shouji may not be ready just yet to take that leap, but seeing his friend make steps forwards...

It really was something.


	65. Difference Between Shadow and Darkness!

**Chapter 65 - The Difference Between Shadow and Darkness!**

The later afternoon had turned to evening with the sun dipping beneath the earth as Shouji, Tokoyami and Dark Shadow all rested in their hospital room on the fourth day of their internships, the former boy taking some time to relax and settle his mind after bringing up the past that had haunted him for most of his young life, while the latter pair sat in content silence, listening to the ticking sound of the wall clock, giving them a brief moment of respite from their hectic lives.

Though in reality, Tokoyami couldn't help but let his mind wander, thinking back to the dark night before, to the secrets that had been revealed to him about his conception.

Discovering that he was, in fact, the son of a great Hero couple, one of whom passed away in battle before he was born with the other turning to the side of the Villains... He honestly wasn't sure how to take it. Dark Shadow mentioned earlier in the day that it was okay to be mad about the situation as if the Quirk's feelings on the matter had already been made up in his mind.

Dark Shadow had always had a level of sentience that meant his feelings weren't solely based on Fumikage's own emotions, despite the fact that his power ultimately came from Fumikage's composed mental state during battles and events. Though most of the time, Fumikage and Dark Shadow shared each other's feelings for better or for worse.

And yet, this was one of those rare moments where the pair seemed to be out of sync, disagreeing with each other to an extent. Perhaps it was due to Dark Shadow's fatigue and experience at being forcibly drained of his energy by the shadows Akumi wielded, but while Dark Shadow seemed set on seething anger at the woman, Tokoyami was still trying to find his footing, so to speak.

He had always been quite a contemplative child, which added to his normally quiet nature and his mysterious persona that he portrayed as a Hero, and that mindset certainly wasn't helping in making his mind up in this instance.

Akumi did not define him, he knew that.

He knew that he was raised by his true parents. He wouldn't bestow them the title of foster parents as he'd known them for as long as he could remember and they had been nothing but kind to him, raising him as one of their own to the point of keeping his past a secret, something he hoped would be explained in due time when he returned to Musutafu. They taught him kindness and allowed him to pursue his dreams of attending U.A, yet they were tough in their own way, scolding him if he strayed from the path of good, keeping him grounded in the reality around him.

He knew that he was Hero, or at least had the soul of a Hero, that he was always destined to become a protector of justice. With the reveal that he came from a family of Heroes and that his natural wish to help those in need had been cultivated over the past month by his classmates and his friends, especially Kouda, Shouji and Midoriya, it only solidified that his fate was to become a true Hero that his birth-father would have been proud to see.

The Raven was no longer just a face in a photograph or a name in an article, after all. He was so much more than that now in Fumikage's heart.

Yet, the anger that would well up deep inside of him when Dark Shadow was out of control, or when he felt too deeply and allowed his emotions to feed into his Quirk... It reminded him of her. Of that vile woman who dared call herself his mother, for she was truly beyond the realm of madness and wildly flailing in the darkness beyond. She had been taken by her emotions long ago and whisked away into a life of crime, yet when she was angry and unsettled, it reminded him of himself during bouts of rage or fits of anger, times where he was most vulnerable.

The only difference was subtle between the pair, but it was enough for him to understand why he had not yet fallen down a path of villainy himself.

His mother was alone in a void of perpetual darkness, no light able to pierce through the gloom as she sunk ever deeper into the dark. She had no life support after Shouta passed away and fell into a well of despair that could not be overcome by her own hands alone. But he, on the other hand, had people around him who cared and supported him in his darkest times. He had friends who would pull him back from the brink, people who would risk their lives for his safety, as he would for them if he had the opportunity.

When he was in the darkness, he always had a guiding light that would keep his course and steer him in the right direction. A beam of hope that would keep Dark Shadow in check and keep him from doing something he would regret.

The way that Kouda would give him advice on how to soothe his night terrors with warm milk and some simple breathing tips. Or how he was able to place his trust in Fumikage during the USJ incident, trusting that Dark Shadow would take out the enemies while Kouda was the bait, even managing to soothe Tokoyami after Dark Shadow's outburst at the criminal with the hair Quirk.

Shouji's constant concern that he would show over the littlest things regarding Tokoyami, from his health to his strength, reminding him that the gym was always a good place to go. Shouji provided an emotional support for the smaller boy, able to tell his friend everything on his mind and trust that Shouji would be there for him, even in the darkest moments like when he passed out on the roadside at three in the morning, or how they faced his mother together the night before.

Midoriya's unbridled enthusiasm at Hero culture and the Quirks of his classmates, especially Dark Shadow, of whom Midoriya had made a close friendship with. His awkward mannerisms as he would help Tokoyami out with work or just relax in his presence, becoming close enough to even reveal his deepest darkest secret to Fumikage. He was inspirational and a shining light for the rest of Class 1-A, inspiring a true goal in Tokoyami to help those in need, regardless of the cost.

Even Dark Shadow's constant presence in his day to day life was a steady improvement from a childhood of mutual silence and loneliness. The pair had never been so close before, with Dark Shadow feeling comfortable around the students of Class 1-A to the point where the Quirk could be himself and get to spread his wings in a way that Fumikage had never seen before. The way his Quirk was able to lighten the mood of a situation or bring Fumikage's mind off of the darkness inside and allow him to enjoy his time as a teenager was a treasured asset.

From the rest of his classmates to his teachers, his parents and those he had met here during the internship... They all cared for him, giving Fumikage enough affection that he could continue on without hesitation.

When Class 1-A first met, he wondered if it was fate that he was classmates with all these people who he recognized and had met before, such diverse personalities who he never knew he needed until that moment. Now, he truly knew that fate had a part to play as the impact of all of his classmates had managed to change the lives of Fumikage and his Quirk for the better.

But even so...

...He needed to know the truth.

He needed to know exactly how he came to this point in his life, how he found himself in the hands of his parents when he was just a baby. He wanted to know what events led to him living in Musutafu rather than his birthplace of Fukuoka. He wanted to know these events that ultimately led to him attending U.A. and beginning the training to be the Hero he knew he was destined to become.

And right at that moment, the door to their hospital room slid open.

Two tall figures entered the room, Tokoyami meeting Hayate's eyes as the weary look of the dark-haired Hero stared back at him. Hayate's piercing blue eyes were alight with an emotion Tokoyami wasn't entirely familiar with, which contrasted with how his body seemed to be almost sagging as they stepped through the doorway, with the door shutting behind them. He was in Civilian clothes, cargo jeans and a white shirt, so he had probably just come from some rather uncomfortable meetings with important officials.

Behind him, the Third Place Hero Hawks had also entered the room, the Pro Hero dressed in full costume, his red wings tucked inwards as he leaned against the wall opposite their beds, his eyes glancing between the pair of students through his clear visor. His jacket had a few scuff marks here and there, yet the Hero seemed alright aside from those few imperfections.

Though Tokoyami couldn't help but notice how attentive Hawks was being as he scanned the room, glancing around at the beds, then to the window, then back to the boys, hand over his mouth in thought. It was almost like seeing a predator stalking its prey, an unnerving feeling to be sure.

Crossing his arms and moving to stand near the edge of his hospital bed, a sudden wave of tension seemed to wash over the room as Fumikage looked back to his mentor's emotional stare. Hayate and Tokoyami, both watching each other, willing for the other to make the first comment. It was very clear on his teacher's face that he knew what Tokoyami wanted to ask, but was unable to bring himself to say. Hawks just watched, brow raised, the barest hint of curiosity on his face over the situation, with Dark Shadow even watching motionlessly with those blinking yellow eyes that seemed to bore into Hayate's soul.

"So..." Shouji's gruff voice called out, everyone glancing over to him, Tokoyami and Hayate with slight surprise, Hawks with amusement. "...I'd appreciate if we could get an update on what happened after we passed out last night." How very like him to try and salvage the mood.

"Of course," Hayate quickly stated, pouncing on Shouji's request like a tiger to prolong the inevitable. "As you know, Akumi has joined the League of Villains. She escaped with the one they call Kurogiri and we were unable to locate them. At this point, finding Akumi is a... _lost_ cause." The frustration in his voice at those words was clear to hear as he glanced back to Tokoyami as he continued. "For whatever reason, the League of Villains have been clashing with your Class 1-A ever since their inception."

"Aside from USJ, can we consider last night a true clash with the League?" Shouji asked tentatively.

"If only last night was the one incident," Hayate replied knowlingly. "The League attacked Hosu City as well and three of your classmates were involved in the incident."

Tokoyami's blood ran cold at that, memories from the night before flashing back. From what he recalled, Hosu City was where Iida had been posted. And last they had seen him, he was already in turmoil over his brother's attack. Not only that, but his mind was racing back to that moment in the Agency when Midoriya had sent out that weird text with an address in Hosu City. Midoriya had definitely gotten caught up in the commotion... But he'd have to be fine, right? "What happened?" He asked, breaking his silence with a calm request. There was no need to panic just yet, Midoriya was capable and seemed on the verge of a breakthrough last they talked regarding his abilities.

Hawks spoke up at this point, his voice casual in tone as he explained, "There was a Nomu attack in Hosu City, caused by the League of Villains. Interestingly enough, our Kurogiri was there just hours before arriving here to pick up your mother." Tokoyami winced visibly at the phrasing Hawks used to describe Akumi, but if Hawks cared for Tokoyami's reaction, he didn't show it. "In the same night, the Hero-Killer Stain was discovered in Hosu by three of your classmates. Endeavour saved them, of course, and Stain was captured."

"W-Who were involved in the attack?" Shouji stammered, showing his concern in his voice more than Tokoyami was.

"Iida Tenya, Shouto Todoroki and Izuku Midoriya," Hayate replied tersely.

Shouji froze entirely at the mention of Midoriya's name, eyes wide in surprise, but Tokoyami, who already knew about Midoriya, nodded in confirmation. "That makes sense," He stated, catching Shouji's attention as the taller boy glanced at his friend. "Iida was stationed there, Midoriya sent that text last night with the address in Hosu City and Todoroki probably went there with his father to solve the crisis."

"Midoriya sent a text last night?" Shouji asked, voice laced with shock. "And I'm just hearing about this now?"

"I apologize Shouji, however, the events of last night were rather strenuous and Midoriya's message slipped my mind," Tokoyami replied apologetically, trying to convey to his friend that he had truly forgotten about the text until that moment, with Shouji accepting his apology with an embarrassed and understanding nod, leaning back into his bed.

 **"Is Izuku alright though?"** Dark Shadow asked out of the blue, perhaps a little too loudly as Tokoyami snapped his head to his concerned Quirk, unsure as to whether to agree with his question or scold him for using Midoriya's first name without permission. Biting his tongue, he glanced back to Hayate, not wanting to get off topic.

Folding his arms, the cyclone Hero gave an attempt at a smile as he said, "All three of them are alright. They are recovering in the hospital as we speak."

"Thank goodness," Shouji sighed, Tokoyami nodding in agreement, relief flooding through his bones as a tension he hadn't realized he was carrying seemed to be lifted, feeling a jolt of happiness in Dark Shadow's link as his Quirk gave him a look of utter thankfulness.

For a moment when he was within the Agency after getting Midoriya's text, he truly felt that he'd be losing both of his friends in one night, but to see that the opposite had happened instead, he truly felt blessed at that moment. He'd need to message Midoriya the moment they got their belongings back.

"Anyway..." Hayate continued awkwardly, eyes now staring back to Tokoyami. "...The original point I was making was that the League has an interest in your class and may strike again. In other words..." His voice lowered, becoming grave and gravely as he looked to Tokoyami to finish his sentence.

"I'll encounter Akumi again," Tokoyami answered, his voice sounding hollow as he stated those words out loud, the realization flowing through him like a jolt of electricity.

His mother was with the League of Villains and at this point, it was clear that they had an interest in Class 1-A. They were after All Might, but if any of the League discovered Midoriya's secret, Midoriya and the rest of the students would potentially pay the price for simply being associated with him. Imagining his birth-mother attempting to take down Midoriya, as well as the rest of the class, he wasn't about to let that happen.

But he was nowhere near strong enough to take the woman on as he was.

He was weak. He needed to grow stronger, to prove that he wasn't someone to be underestimated.

"Fumikage..." Hayate stated softly, causing the raven-headed by to look up at his long-time mentor. "...Akumi, before everything that happened with Damien, she was a wonderful woman. Passionate and caring, she wanted nothing more than to have a family. But..." His voice trailed off, Hayate taking in a deep breath, as if to prepare himself for the arduous journey ahead. Tokoyami knew exactly what he was doing.

It was exactly what Shouji had done just hours before. He was preparing to reveal something of great importance, and for Tokoyami, that only meant one thing. He was preparing to reveal the truth.

"When Shouta died..." He started, his voice low and melancholic, "...she was beside herself with grief. She was, at her core, obsessed with Shouta. Before they actually married, she was always around him, keeping him safe. I rarely saw them apart..." An attempt at a smile spread across his face as he thought back, memories of his past no doubt flashing through his mind as he settled on his next words. "...Akumi was not a bad person. She was a victim of circumstance... and a victim of my foolishness."

His voice went silent for a moment, giving Tokoyami a brief moment to think, the raven-headed boy glancing down at his hands, then back to Hayate with a curious look. He could feel in his heart a trepidation that came with the questions burning inside of him that he wanted to ask, knowing this knowledge would change everything that he had come to know and understand. Still, he needed to find out the truth, he couldn't ignore it any longer.

"Why..." He asked silently, trying to keep his tone calm and concise. "...Why did you tell the public I was stillborn?"

"We wanted to keep her affairs private following Shouta's death," Hayate explained. "Akumi wasn't well, she was taking the death harder than anyone, understandably so. I worked with a private hospital to help her have the baby in secret and then explain to the public afterwards that there was an accident. It was the only way to keep her from being hounded by fans of The Raven and reporters who wanted to know the truth."

"Should Akumi not have known about the stillbirth then?" Shouji asked from his bed, the curiosity in his voice evident. As Hayate glanced over at the taller boy, Shouji felt his cheeks beginning to burn with embarrassment. It had been a simple question, yet he somehow felt like he was intruding upon a serious conversation, despite the pair on the other side of the room being fine with his and Hawks' presence.

Meanwhile, Tokoyami continued to mull over the words being spoken, trying to take it all in.

Hayate shook his head, a frown settling on his features as he began to explain the situation to Shouji. "Akumi cut herself off from much of the world after the birth. She didn't read the news and preferred to keep to herself, with those she came into contact with being aware of the situation and knowing not to say anything. In the end, she never did discover our lie."

A dark emotion surged through Tokoyami as he felt his eyes snap to his Quirk, not expecting Dark Shadow to uncoil from where he was laying down with Fumikage. And he had to admit, none of the room's occupants expected the Quirk to dart straight up to Hayate's face in a sudden movement, eyes flashing orange, hissing a quiet, **"I don't like you calling us a lie, Teach."** His voice was laced with a venemous undertone, of which Tokoyami rarely heard from his Quirk any more. But those orange eyes said it all - Dark Shadow was personally livid.

Hayate, for what it's worth, looked actively upset at his choice of wording, his expression morphing into an apologetic, yet guilty frown, quickly stammering an "I-I apologize, that wasn't my intention. You..." The words caught in his throat as Dark Shadow growled ever louder.

Tokoyami still wasn't sure what to feel though. He could sense the thrumming of Dark Shadow's livid anger in the back of his mind, searing the back of his head like a fiery blast. A part of him definitely wanted to agree with his Quirk and lash out at the man that had taught them everything they knew, make him pay for lying about his past. But he knew if he did, he wouldn't get any genuine answers and be back at square one. Fumikage was still a Hero, and that meant sucking up the bad and moving on regardless of the situation, a lesson he learned just the day before when they went out on patrol. Still, having his own birth be covered up...

"...You deserve so much more than any of us could give." Hayate finished solemnly.

Tokoyami, however, shook his head, sending a side-eyed glare to his Quirk to at least settle down until after the discussion. Dark Shadow, staring back at his partner, slowly slinked back to Fumikage's side, orange eyes not leaving Hayate's sunken face as he settled back down beneath Fumikage's palms.

"Keep going," He muttered to Hayate, the dark-haired Hero looking at him with a mixture of concern and pain. "I wish to hear the entire ordeal. Only then can I... Can I choose how I feel."

"R-Right..." Hayate muttered, picking up where he left off. "After your birth, your mother cared for you for the first few months, though I could only see you sparingly myself as our friendship had been frayed ever since the incident. It was around when you were three months old when things became difficult. You see, Damien's trial resurfaced and, of course, both myself and Akumi had to be involved as affected parties."

"You mentioned last night that she wanted to kill Damien, right?" Shouji specified, hoping he had recalled his information correctly, though given his head injuries he couldn't be sure.

"Indeed," Hayate nodded, much to Shouji's relief. "She wanted the death penalty, as penance for her fallen husband. I, however, did not wish to go to such lengths. Shouta would not have wanted it to be so violent. For the next few months, she became engrossed within the case, driven by a childish thought of avenging her husband, as if killing Damien would right the wrong he had caused."

"Two wrongs do not make a right," Tokoyami muttered, eyes now closed as he continued to listen.

Hayate gave a bitter chuckle at that, clenching his right fist tightly as he let his other hand rest against the foot of the hospital bed. "And yet Damien lies six feet beneath the ground and Akumi got her way. It only took her sixteen years... Still, it was not just myself, as she claimed, who could see her hysteria. For she was eventually locked out of the trial by the Courts themselves following a rather brutal tirade against Damien. It got to the point where she was obstructing the proceedings."

"Sounds like you made the right call then," Hawks stated from his spot against the wall, Hayate glancing back to him in surprise. Hawks, seeing the attention was on him, continued as he was, "Sending her to get help. Can't say it was the most graceful plan, and clearly it didn't have the intended affect, but you did the right call for the situation."

"You couldn't have predicted how Akumi would have reacted, nor how she would turn to the side of the villains," Shouji added, agreeing with Hawks assessment.

Hayate gave a half-hearted laugh, though there was no joy in his voice. "You still haven't heard the full story. How I came to her house the day after to check on her, only to find Fumikage crying in his cot... Finding Akumi angrily tearing at the furniture of her home in anguish and anger with a fury that I had never felt before. And she turned on me, said horrible things. How I was never there for Shouta, how I didn't believe in Justice... Words that shook me to my very core."

He turned back to Fumikage, taking a step towards the boy, Dark Shadow rearing back ever so slightly at his approach.

"It struck me at that moment that I did not recognize the woman standing before me. And my one thought was simple. Get you out of that house before she accidentally did something she would regret. Only, I made an awful call of judgement as upon picking up Fumikage..."

* * *

 _"What are you doing to my son!?" Akumi's shrill voice screeched, the dark-haired woman's blood red eyes transfixed on the young bird-headed baby that was now cradled in Noboru's arms. His eyes darted to the shaking form of Akumi, then to the darkness of the shadows building up behind her, feeling a tension in the air as he got a good look at the room around him._

 _Scratch and claw marks from her Quirk littered the ground, ripped curtains, a torn up sofa, cracked picture frames and more strewn across the carpet. It was as if something had snapped, something vicious and violent. He could feel himself shaking from the argument they had just had, how she had called him a terrible friend to Shouta, words that were unforgivable in his mind. But right now, he couldn't focus on that._

 _The small boy riggling around half asleep in his arms kept his mind grounded._

 _"Taking him somewhere safe," He replied, keeping his voice down, tone calm. "Just until we can get someone to sort out this mess, alright Akumi."_

 _"N-N-No," She stammered hysterically. "He's my child. Y-Y-You can't take him away from me."_

 _"Akumi, look around. All this destruction, he isn't safe." Hayate explained, pleading with her to understand his intention. He did not want to start a fight, nor did he want to take her child away. He just wanted to get Fumikage out of the house before he got hurt._

 _But people did not always get what they wanted._

 _"Isn't safe? H-He's s-safe with me," She whispered, taking a solid step towards the Pro Hero, her arms reaching out for her baby. "G-Give him to me."_

 _"I can't do that Akumi."_

 _"Give him to me."_

 _"Akumi pleas-_

 **"Give him to me."**

 _The shadows behind Akumi burst forwards without hesitation, slicing towards Noboru without any mercy. In an instant, he pulled Fumikage close to his arms and span around, diving towards the front door that was luckily a few paces away. He quickly tumbled through the open doorway into the garden, feeling the light wash over him as he realized he was safe from the shadows as long as he stayed within direct sunlight. Akumi was angrily shouting after him as he stood in the sunset of the afternoon, her voice shrill and hurt, cursing him to high heaven as he tried to ignore her._

 _Glancing downwards at the small baby, who began to cry in his arms, he wasn't sure what to do. Akumi couldn't attack him as long as he was in the sunset's light, as the Shadows would not reach him, yet he had few options to subdue her in her crazed state. He had no idea she could even get like this, though with how her Quirk surged from her anger, he suspected it was something to do with her shadowy ability._

 _Fumikage's mother was screaming even louder as she heard the sounds of her baby's cry, the bird-headed baby wailing into the afternoon as Noboru quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone._

 _Quickly lifting up his phone as Akumi glared at him from the front of the house, her eyes alight with a fire as she waited to see what his next move was, her voice trailing into silence as he dialled a quick number. The police chief, one of the few who knew the truth. It was his only option, as much as he pained to do it._

 _"Hello, Airdriver?" The police chief said._

 _"I need help," Were his first words, a clear indicator of the situation. "Akumi's Quirk is causing her to attack me," He explained as quickly as he could. "She's beyond being talked down. I've got Fumikage with me, but if I don't receive back-up... Just, get some men here before the sun goes down, please!"_

 _"On it," The Police Chief stated rather hurriedly from the other end of the line hanging up as soon as he had picked up, leaving Noboru to stare down the fearsome incarnation of wrath that had engulfed Akumi and the inside of the house. He only hoped he'd be able to take her out once Fumikage was safe._

* * *

"Five minutes later, the Police arrived and I was able to hand you off to one of them, allowing me the chance to fight back. Akumi and I fought afterwards, now that I was able to fight to my fullest and I overpowered her, knocking her unconscious," He explained grimly. "After that, I never saw her in person again until she was being sent away to be treated for her instability. It was our only option, seeing as she tried to kill me in cold blood and could have killed you as well. That... That's about it regarding Akumi..."

"I see..." Tokoyami muttered silently, definitely unnerved by how casually he had brushed with potential death from such a young age. "...She was unfit to be a parent. But she cared about me..." He was more talking to himself than to anyone else in the room, voicing his thoughts as he tried to work through them.

"Yeah, that's about it. She cared about you and I underestimated that care, which led to our confrontation, but at the same time, she was volatile and dangerous. That afternoon, she simply snapped. It all became too much for her to handle."

"And my parents?" Tokoyami asked quietly. "Where do they fit into this?"

But at that question, Hayate shook his head. "It's not my place to tell. They'll tell you everything, I'm sure," He explained quietly. "After the incident, I decided it would be best to leave Fukuoka for a while. It's why I moved my agency to Musutafu for a time. When I heard that Akumi had escaped the treatment centre I... I didn't know what to do. But after not hearing of her for fifteen years..."

"Thank you, Hayate," Tokoyami stated as his teacher's voice trailed off. His blue eyes, alight with emotion, had dimmed as the story concluded, and Tokoyami could see the strain on his face. "I... I still do not know how I feel. I will need some time."

"Of course. You'll both be able to leave in the morning, I'll come back then."

"Oh right, tomorrow morning I'm heading off on another assignment," Hawks announced with a yawn. "I'd like to talk with you both before I leave so make sure you stop by the Agency." Without giving any further detail, Hawks pushed himself off of the wall and walked over towards the door. "C'mon Hayate, let's let em rest."

"Fumikage..."

Giving the best attempt at a smile he could muster, Fumikage placed a hand on Hayate's wrist that was still latched on to the bed. "Teacher, it's... It's fine. The past is the past. You shouldn't hold yourself guilty any more."

The genuine smile that ghosted its way onto Hayate's face for an instant was all that Tokoyami needed to see as the Pro Hero turned away to head out with Hawks. And as the hospital room door shut behind them, Tokoyami found himself looking up at the ceiling, mulling over the words that had been spoken.

From the other bed, Shouji watched his friend, feeling so close to him, yet so far away at the same time, wanting nothing more than to hug his friend as he had felt the night before. He wanted to make Tokoyami feel safe, wanted to hide him from all of these revelations about his past. But he could tell there was nothing more he could do for them until they were willing to talk about their feelings to him first.

He'd be there for them though, both Tokoyami and Dark Shadow, just as they were there for him.


	66. Free at Last? Hawks Explains All?

**Chapter 66 - Free at Last!? Hawks Explains All!?**

After their conversation with Hayate, the evening turned to night and the two students quietly settled in for a good night's rest in their beds. Despite how resilient they were, all the talking and the emotional weight of their discussions had taken a heavier toll on their psyche than they had first thought and they knew that if they were being discharged in the morning, they'd need all the strength they could muster. It was unbecoming of a Hero to remain down for too long and become complacent after all.

The next morning, the hospital staff brought in their belongings which had been brought straight from the hotel they were staying at. According to the nurse who had been looking after them, they were to head straight to Airdriver Agency where Hayate would explain the situation going forward for the last few days of their internships.

Though Shouji wasn't getting out of this scot-free. His arms were still bandaged and a doctor informed him that they had contacted U.A. regarding the incident and had been informed to tell the taller boy that, upon his return, he should seek out Recovery Girl at his earliest convenience to fully heal the rest of his wounds. Shouji didn't seem too terribly bothered by this news, however, giving a hearty shrug.

"Most people can work with two arms, I shouldn't have any issues myself," He had replied upon hearing the request.

Tokoyami definitely heard a sigh of relief as Shouji changed back into his regular civilian clothing, placing on his familiar face mask as he did so. For the first time in thirty-six hours or so, he was wearing his mask again and the change in Shouji's confidence was astounding, to say the least. He felt more comfortable in an instant. Words flashed through his mind as he remembered Shouji's statements from the day before.

 _"A Hero needs to be welcoming and king. The mask helps, keeps people calm. I don't see my mask as a burden, as much as it is just one of my tools."_

Though the story behind the mask was tragic, it's significance in helping to improve Shouji's confidence and his life overall was enough for Tokoyami to look past the sadness that was contained beneath and focus on the brighter side of the situation. On the downside though, with Shouji's mask on, his emotions became that much harder to read.

 _ **"Just because you liked seeing him blush,"**_ Dark Shadow cooed in his head with a fierce chuckle.

 _"That is not correct in the slightest."_

 ** _"Keep telling yourself that, bird boy,"_** Dark Shadow snarkily replied before diving back into slumber.

Pulling on his civilian clothes, Tokoyami tried to ignore those irritating comments his Quirk had made, nor where they made his mind wander, instead focusing on just getting dressed and looking presentable for when they left. Though the way Shouji's mask had crinkled into an amused grin, it was clear that Dark Shadow's words had elicited an expression that he hadn't realized he was making.

"Dark Shadow teasing you again?" Shouji asked with a chuckle, his bag slung around his back.

"I despise how well you seem to know my expressions, Shouji," Tokoyami groaned loudly.

"I lived with you for a week, remember," Shouji retorted, folding his good arms.

"Well, I must say I will miss your expressions," Tokoyami admitted, motioning towards the mask his friend was now wearing. "Seeing the true Mezou Shouji beneath the mask was an experience I will not forget."

Shouji felt his cheeks flush with colour as he glanced away towards the window awkwardly, muttering a quiet, "It's not that special."

"Anyway, we really should be heading out. I imagine the staff here would like us out of the room now that we are sufficiently clothed," Fumikage explained, trying to ignore the adorable way Shouji had curled in on himself at the off-handed compliment he had given.

"R-Right," Shouji stammered, striding to the door and stepping out into the hallway as quickly as he could.

The pair left the hospital a few minutes later, Tokoyami and Shouji both switching on their phones as they did so, while surveying just where they were in Fukuoka. Though as their phones switched on, they both suddenly began to vibrate to an alarming degree, Tokoyami choking out a gasp of surprise as his screen turned on to reveal a large number of unread messages that had been sent both privately to himself, as well as to the Class 1-A group chat.

"W-We seem to have missed out on many discussions," He stammered with surprise.

"We'll take a look through when we get to the Agency, Toko," Shouji quickly replied, pocketing his phone before glancing around. "If we head down the street, turn left, then right at the next turn, it's a straight shot to Airdriver's place."

"Just make sure to stay within sight," Tokoyami muttered quietly, voice laden with concern. "I do not think I could cope with another incident..."

"Of course Toko, you don't have to worry," Shouji replied softly, letting a hand gingerly rest on his friend's shoulder as they began to walk. Shouji couldn't help but emphasize with his friend, who seemed tentatively hesitant as they began the walk to the agency, though given the last time Shouji left his sight he got kidnapped... Yeah, it would be best for the pair to stick together.

Making their way down the early morning streets of Fukuoka, Tokoyami allowed himself to revel in the crisp cool air as the sun had yet to reach it's peak, giving them a brief period to relax for the first time in days as they strolled down the pavement. The streets were still fairly clear, cars whizzing by, people on their way to work or just doing a morning commute.

While Tokoyami and Shouji had been in the hospital, the world had continued on and it was their job to catch up and figure out exactly what they had missed out on in their short time of absence.

"So..." Shouji muttered around halfway through their walk, glancing down at his friend with a calm look. "...Midoriya's in the hospital again."

"Indeed, One for All certainly seems to have a negative effect on his health," Tokoyami replied thoughtfully, his mind drifting to thoughts of Midoriya, broken and battered from overusing his power. They were privy to the secret of his Quirk, yet understanding where his power came from meant nothing when they couldn't prevent the injuries it left behind.

"Given he fought against Stain, he probably broke a few limbs using his power again," Shouji thought aloud, much to Tokoyami's surprise. "How much do you think he broke this time?"

"How much he brok-" Tokoyami stammered in surprise, narrowing his eyes and folding his arms as he angrily spluttered, "Do you not have faith in our friend to keep himself sa-"

"This is Midoriya we're talking about, Toko. Izuku _'I'll break my finger throwing a baseball on our first day of school'_ Midoriya." The way Shouji's arms were folded, brows raised smugly, was enough for Tokoyami to give a dramatic sigh to himself.

 **"Three fingers, one arm and a leg,"** Dark Shadow exclaimed, manifesting around Tokoyami's neck with a large grin on his face.

Tokoyami groaned, flicking his Quirk in the forehead in irritation before muttering, "Last time we bet on Midoriya, we ended up learning his deepest darkest secret. I would rather not repeat that if I can help it."

Shouji shrugged, glancing to Dark Shadow as he stated, "I'll bet both arms and fingers, but his legs are alright."

"I cannot believe you two," He muttered more to himself before stating, "Fine, I bet that he has not broken a single limb due to his power. Seeing as I am the only one of us who has any faith in Izuku's abilities."

Dark Shadow tensed up, Shouji let out a sudden cough and Tokoyami froze for a moment, his mind catching up with the words that had tumbled out of his mouth. Glancing to his side, Dark Shadow was looking at him with the biggest, for lack of a better term, shit-eating grin on his face, while Shouji's smugness had returned ten-fold.

 **"Did you just-"**

"No. No, I did not."

 **"You totally did Fumi. Shouji, you heard that right?"**

"Indeed, good to hear you have faith in _Izuku's_ abilities, Toko," Shouji leered, Dark Shadow bursting into a fit of laughter while Tokoyami could feel his face heating up, feathers ruffling up in annoyance. How very embarrassing.

Rather than dignify either of them with a reply, he huffed, pulled his arms close to himself and stalked forwards, Shouji's mirthful features close behind.

They arrived at the agency building a little faster than intended thanks to Tokoyami's speed-walking to avoid looking his friend or his Quirk, for that matter, in the eye. They made their way up the elevator, Tokoyami still having nightmares about running up that stairwell from two nights before, arriving with a ding on the correct floor.

When they stepped out of the lift, the first thing they saw was the rest of their luggage from the hotel sitting off to the left side of the lobby, while to the right they could see Beni hard at work at her station, glancing up as she fiddled around with some mechanical parts, her eyes lighting up and a smile forming on her face as she saw who had just arrived.

"Hey, you two!" She called out, pushing back her glasses as she set her tools down on the workbench.

"Good morning Beni," Tokoyami nodded, Shouji giving a wave with one of his good arms as well. "Are you well?"

Neither of them was expecting Beni to roll her eyes at the question, gesturing wildly with her arms to the pair. "Honestly, you spend two nights in the Hospital and you ask me how well I am? I should be asking you how well you both are!"

Tokoyami's feathers visibly fluffed up at that, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks as he realized she was quite right in her words. They had just come from the hospital and Beni had not seen Tokoyami since he left them that evening in the car, nor had she seen Shouji since they came back from the cat cafe. With that knowledge in mind, Tokoyami couldn't help but feel rather foolish at his greeting.

"We're fine, Beni," Shouji replied instead, gesturing to the pair of them. "My arms will heal when I get back to U.A. but aside from that, no lasting damage from either of us. Though I was warned to take things a little slower thanks to head injury I received," He admitted bitterly.

"I'm just glad to see you're both alright," Beni said softly. "When you left to infiltrate the school, Tokoyami, Hayate was incredibly worried about you. Before you gave the single to approach, he was tempted to enter early in case something went wrong."

"I'm glad it didn't come to that," Tokoyami muttered, glancing up at his friend who had been the sole objective of the mission. "We saved Shouji, that's all that matters."

 **"I helped too,"** Dark Shadow announced from his spot around Tokoyami's neck, pointing a small claw at himself proudly. **"If it weren't for me, Fumikage would have been decapitated in the cafeteria!"**

"Wait, what!?" Shouji span around, eyes visibly widened, more than Tokoyami had ever seen before, with Beni looking just as surprised from her spot behind them.

Tokoyami raised his arms, out of sheer instinct, towards Shouji in an attempt to calm the sudden outburst, quickly blurting out an explanation before things could get out of hand. "I went into the school believing that Akumi wanted me alive. So I let my guard down and her shadows attacked me in the cafeteria, nothing more. I learned from my mistake, trust me. That was when she stole the transceiver after all, so I do not wish to repeat that mistake again."

"She stole the transceiver?" Beni asked incredulously, her eyes wide like saucepans. "I think you may need to explain to Hayate exactly what happened before he arrived, my goodness."

 **"Where is he anyway?"** Dark Shadow asked, his voice suddenly much lower in tone, eyes scowling around the lobby at the mere mention of their former mentor.

"In his office..." Beni hesitantly replied, noting the tension that seemed to be emanating from Dark Shadow's gaze. Though aside from her slightly confused tone, she didn't seem too terribly unnerved by his reaction. "He's chatting with Hawks as our number Three Hero is leaving in an hour. I'll go get them." With a quick step back, she almost ran off towards the office doors, slipping through them in an instant and out of sight.

The moment she was gone, Tokoyami snapped his head towards his Quirk with a scowl on his face. "Was that really necessary?"

 **"Not gonna pretend I like Teach after finding out the truth, Fumi,"** Dark Shadow nipped back, slithering through the air to Shouji's shoulder while sulking the whole time. **"At least Shouji agrees with me, right Shouji?"**

"Don't bring me into this," Mezou stated firmly, flicking Dark Shadow off of his shoulder and back to his owner.

 **"Traitor,"** Dark Shadow muttered under his breath.

"Would you rather we be brought up by that woman who tried to kill Shouji," Fumikage hissed to his Quirk, Dark Shadow rearing backwards at the ferocity of his owner's words.

 **"T-That's not what I..."** Dark Shadow let out a huff, tilting his form to stare at the wall behind them, irritation radiating from the darkness that made up his Quirk. **"I just don't appreciate that they potentially were never going to tell us the truth."**

"You don't know that," Tokoyami frowned.

 **"The only reason we know the truth is because our crazed psychopath of a birth-mother kidnapped Shouji. Even when our backs were against the wall, Teach still tried to keep the secret until Akumi came out and said it herself!"** Dark Shadow snapped his head back to face his owner, though his eyes were not his usual shimmering yellow, instead, a deep and dark blue.

"His eyes..." Shouji muttered silently, his gaze set on the Quirk floating between them.

Tokoyami, however, was frozen in his Quirk's gaze. He could feel the hurt through their link and the deep blue of Dark Shadow's eyes seemed to radiate a sadness that the Quirk had never felt before. Dark Shadow rarely changed his eye colour unless his emotions were so tilted in one direction that they changed naturally. Due to their often similar approach to situations, Dark Shadow's eyes tended to stay a soft yellow to show his synchronized feelings with Fumikage.

Come to think of it, the day before Dark Shadow's eyes were a fiery orange when confronting Hayate.

"Dark Shadow..." He stated quietly, voice soft as snow. Reaching a hand out, he quickly wrapped his arm around his Quirk and carefully pulled him close to his chest. "You are right, my friend. They never told us the truth until their hand was forced. I... I can understand why you are frustrated." Dark Shadow nuzzled into Fumikage at this, his former irritation replaced with an intense need for comfort. His Quirk was sentient after all and could have his good days and his bad days.

 **"Why didn't they tell us, Fumi?"** Dark Shadow choked out from where he was buried into Tokoyami's dark shirt. **"Why did all of this have to happen for that idiot to realize that we needed to know the truth?!"**

Shouji could only watch from the sidelines as the Quirk silently began to collapse on itself, in a way that Shouji had truly never seen before. This vulnerable side of Dark Shadow that had always existed, it had been kept from public view, hidden underneath a layer of snark and confidence that hid his true feelings. This proud Quirk, filled with strength and determination... In the end, he was just a child. The same as them, still learning about the world, about the people inside of it, about himself.

Taking a step towards the pair, he let a good hand rest on Dark Shadow, a comforting signal that hopefully told the Quirk that there was no need to worry right now. Dark Shadow's words betrayed his true concerns - The safety of Shouji and Tokoyami above all else. Dark Shadow was more torn up over the incident than Shouji had realized and it was in this moment that he began to see just how much the Quirk had been looking out for him and his owner.

"What's done is done," Shouji muttered quietly, rubbing Dark Shadow's back in a caring motion. Tokoyami sent him a look of gratitude, his eyes clouded with concern for his Quirk above all else. "It's okay to be angry, to let it out. But we're okay, we're here."

 **"T-The end result doesn't justify the means..."** Dark Shadow whimpered, a sentiment that Tokoyami and Shouji both agreed with.

Though the evening had resulted in the trio facing their own pasts head on, that didn't mean that they had to be happy with how things turned out. They were forced to confront the monsters that hid in their minds, preying on their thoughts as they went through life. Shouji was forced to relive horrible memories after his mask was forcibly cut, while Tokoyami was forced to learn a painful truth through the pain of his friend.

"You're right," Tokoyami whispered to his Quirk. "I know deep down that you're correct, but one of us has to be the calm one, right? I can be calm for the both of us as we work through this."

At this, his Quirk lifted his face to stare at Tokoyami, the yellow starting to seep back into his eyes as the blue began to fade, his Quirk shakily nodding at his words. **"You shouldn't have to deal with this alone..."**

"He's got me, he's got Midoriya, he's got you, he's got Kouda, he's got his family," Shouji muttered silently, still rubbing Dark Shadow, who was beginning to ease up under his hands. "He's not alone. That's what makes Toko so strong."

Tokoyami, for what it's worth, was keeping his own emotions under control as Shouji whispered good platitudes to his Quirk, feeling his face heating up for the fiftieth time that day as Shouji's words began to filter through his mind.

As Dark Shadow finally slinked forwards to wrap around Fumikage's neck, slipping out of Shouji's grasp with a slither, the trio heard the door to the office open, Beni, Hayate and Hawks each stepping out to greet them.

"It is good to see you both on your feet," Hayate greeted with a melancholic smile, definitely still feeling the sombre attitude from the day before if his furrowed brow and stress lines on his face were anything to go by.

Hawks, swaggering past Hayate with a small smile on his lips, looked to the two students before stating, "I'm leaving soon. If it's alright with the Old Man, I'd like to chat with you both before I leave. Important business."

"Go ahead, I can wait," Hayate waved, gesturing them towards the break room.

Tokoyami and Shouji stayed still where they were for a moment, watching as Hawks took a few steps towards the break room, Fumikage's eyes resting on his mentor for a brief moment with Dark Shadow's words flashing through his mind. Had he ever planned to tell him the truth about his birth? Had they planned to keep it under wraps until the day he died?

With a deep breath, he tore his gaze away from the mentor he so desperately wished to question, for Dark Shadow's sake, and instead followed Shouji, who had already headed over towards where Hawks was sitting in the break room.

When Tokoyami stepped into the recreational room, Hawks called out, "Can you close the door? It's important we have some privacy." Tokoyami nodded, somewhat confused by the question, turning to shut the doors behind him. Hayate was still standing where he had been left, next to Beni, watching them as they had entered the break room.

With a quick click, Tokoyami shut the door, locking out his mentor and focusing on the task at hand. For whatever reason, Hawks had wanted to speak to the pair before he left, so he quickly hurried towards the sofas where Shouji and Hawks were now sitting, taking a seat next to his friend, opposite the Pro Hero.

"I'll make this fairly quick," Hawks began in earnest, leaning forwards to face the pair. "I didn't actually take this job as a request from Hayate. I have other reasons."

"Other reasons?" Tokoyami asked.

Nodding, Hawks pointed a gloved hand straight at Tokoyami. "You're the other reason, kid."

"Tokoyami is the other reason?" Shouji asked, sending Hawks a confused look.

Nodding again, the winged man let out a smug grin, "I drafted you after the Sport's Festival and you said no. Can't say I was too happy with the outcome as you and Endeavour's kid were the only two I asked for. I needed someone from Class 1-A and I so thought you'd pick me. How was I supposed to know a kid like you was taught by my old mentor of all people."

"Why on earth would you want to invite me to an internship?" Tokoyami asked back. "You needed someone from Class 1-A, would anyone not have done you fine?"

Hawks shook his head, giving a knowledgeable glance through his visor at Tokoyami as he replied, "Nope, I wanted you or Endeavour's Kid. You probably don't know this, but on patrol I let my sidekicks handles the aftermath of situations. I can't afford to let them slow me down or else people will get hurt."

"I've seen your work on television," Shouji added with a hint of awe in his voice. "You're so quick to solve problems with your feathers, it's an art form, almost."

"But what does this have to do with me?" Tokoyami asked curiously.

"Everything," Hawks shrugged. "I wanted you to intern with me. You see, fifty percent of my reasoning was because I wanted to talk with someone from Class 1-A about those little punks who attacked you guys, calling themselves the League of Villains. And well, I figured if I had to pick one of you, it would be one who I thought could actually keep up with me. Someone with a lot of promise. So I figured, why not that birdman from the top three? He looks good."

"You thought I could keep up with you?" Tokoyami asked in surprise, eyes widened. "That's why you picked me?"

"Well, that's not the only reason," Hawks explained, a grin forming on his face as he reached back to his wing, plucking a red feather from his plumage, holding it out in his hand. "I also picked you because we're both birds!"

Tokoyami blinked, as did Shouji, both of them stealing a glance at each other, thinking the same thing. This guy was crazy. Definitely somewhat crazy.

"Are you joking...?" Tokoyami finally asked, shock laced in his tone.

"No, I'm twenty percent serious," Hawks added on, his voice lax and the furthest thing from severity. "That being said, I think I was wrong about you. Don't get me wrong, you were good at infiltrating that school and you did save your friend, but you're still so inexperienced. I have to say, just based on our interactions thus far... You won't be able to keep up with me on a patrol."

"I haven't had the chance to even try," Fumikage stated, his tone level and voice calm. Though he could feel a slight twinge of irritation at this man's words.

"Well, why don't we have a patrol today then?" Hawks stated with a smile. "I can push back my schedule a few hours to see if you can keep up with me or not. But, I'll only patrol with you on one condition."

"Name it."

"Toko, are you sure?" Shouji asked, voice concerned. "You just got out of the hospital-"

"I'm fine Shouji. In fact, proving myself to the Number Three Hero in the country sounds like a useful way to spend the rest of my morning." Tokoyami's voice was stern and determined, that forcefulness coming across to Hawks, who was grinning from ear to ear like an idiot. "What's the condition?"

Hawks leaned forwards to face the pair. "I already said earlier, but I need information on the League of Villains. Anything you can tell me about the USJ incident would be helpful. After the other night, I'm convinced they will try to target your class again, so I'd also like to keep in touch in-case something comes up."

"Fine, I have no qualms with that," Tokoyami replied.

"Then let's hear it... Tell me about the USJ incident and I'll give you a chance to keep up with me."


	67. Doomed to Fail? Put in Perspective?

**Chapter 67 - Doomed to Fail!? Put in Perspective!**

Explaining the USJ incident was actually quite simple with Shouji around to fill in the blanks that Tokoyami had missed due to him being trapped in the Squall Zone with Kouda for the whole incident. They explained to Hawks that the majority of the villains that had appeared were simply petty criminals and crooks who did not have much battle experience. It seemed like they had been chosen less because of their abilities as fighters and more because they underestimated the students of Class 1-A.

Hawks was far more interested in the main duo that had escaped following the USJ incident. Kurogiri and the man with the hands across his suit, whose name Tokoyami had still yet to learn. Neither of them had been in a position to actually hear the man talk as they had evacuated towards the main entrance, but hearing from Midoriya soon after that the blue-haired man, whom Shouji had seen prior to the USJ sneaking in to the teacher's lounge, that the guy's Quirk, Decay, was able to decay living organisms into dust, Hawks seemed particularly pleased with that information.

Though Shouji had a lot to say on Kurogiri. A well-spoken villain with a penchant for getting the job done in a quick and timely manner, that was the best way to describe the being who could literally distort the air around him to create portals between locations. It was an exceptionally powerful Quirk, though they had explained that the metallic body piece he wore was his main weakness as it kept him corporal and was needed to for him to keep his shape.

"I think that about covers it," Shouji finished, once they had gone over the entire sequence of events from the USJ attack.

Hawks looked to the pair with a casual grin, raising his hand to give them a small thumbs up of thanks, stretching out his wings as he pushed himself up from his spot on the couch. "Thanks for the info. I already heard everything I needed to know on that woman with the shadow powers from Hayate, so I figure I've learned all I can so far."

Hawks settled his gaze on Tokoyami, a knowing smirk crossing his face as he pointed towards the changing rooms.

"You want to patrol with me, right? I'd suggest getting suited up." Turning his gaze towards Shouji, he took in the taller boy before muttering, "If you think you're up to the challenge, the offer extends to you as well. You did give me the info I needed, after all."

Not bothering to listen for a response, the winged Hero strode over to the Break Room door, sliding it open, while shouting, "I'm taking them out on patrol for an hour!"

"You're what!?" Hayate's voice cried out in surprise.

Tokoyami, meanwhile, had already begun to make his way towards the changing rooms, assuming that his Hero Costume had probably been moved there as their costume cases weren't among the luggage left in the Agency's lobby. He hadn't looked back to see if his friend was taking Hawks up on his offer, but Tokoyami knew for sure that he was going to prove the Third Place Hero wrong and keep up with him.

He was a student of U.A. after all, and Hawks had been looking down on the students ever since arriving at the agency. Even though the Pro Hero had helped out in their time of need during Shouji's kidnapping, he was just doing his job. Getting his acknowledgement, keeping up with him, that was what Tokoyami wanted to achieve. To prove the Pro wrong.

 **"We can keep up with him,"** Dark Shadow exclaimed as Tokoyami pushed open the door to the changing room, spotting his case sitting by the floor to the left of the entryway. **"We're stronger than we used to be."**

"Someone's feeling confident," Tokoyami chided, eyes glinting with what could only be described as a weird excitement that was building up in his chest.

Getting the chance to patrol with such an influential Hero, regardless of his personality, was still an exciting prospect. He imagined if Midoriya were here, he'd be fanboying like mad over Hawks, a sight that Tokoyami admitted he wished he could see. In all honesty, Tokoyami was just as excited as Midoriya would have been, though he was just better at hiding his emotions. No need to show outward excitement when he could direct that energy towards performing well, after all.

"Are you sure you'll be able to match him, Toko?" Shouji's voice called out, the taller boy walking in a minute later, having clearly made up his mind to also join the fray.

"You think I can't?" Tokoyami replied, pulling on his cape, glancing at his friend sceptically.

"Keeping up with him requires stamina. And you're not exactly known for your longevity in battle," Shouji explained as he began to pull out his own costume from his case, which was on the right side of the room.

"This is not going to turn into another, you need to go to the gym regularly, talk is it?" Tokoyami groaned, realizing what Shouji was getting at.

Shouji merely shrugged, shedding his clothing to change into his costume, while Tokoyami pulled on his dark boots and began to work on making sure everything was set up just the way he wanted it to be. Though as he fiddled with his cape, he could feel Shouji's words on his mind. His stamina was certainly lacking in comparison to other members of his class.

He was going to take up gym membership upon their return, Shouji would make certain of that, but still, was his friend merely trying to get him to back out of this bet he had made or was he trying to warn him?

"Toko, don't take this the wrong way," Shouji began, startling the boy from his thoughts as he glanced over at his friend, eyes widening at Shouji's currently shirtless body, save for his facemask. Had Tokoyami a normal jaw, it would be dropped in surprise, and at that moment all those pesky teenage feelings came rushing back in an instant, long forgotten due to the hardships they had faced. "Just don't be surprised if Hawks shows us up, today."

"I-I thought you wanted to prove yourself to him," Tokoyami stated, catching a slight stutter in his voice much to his own mortification as he snapped his head back to his cloak to fasten it on correctly.

"I already have," Shouji mumbled, pulling on his costume so that his skin was finally covered, much to Tokoyami's relief and Dark Shadow's sheer mirth.

Though at those words, Tokoyami's eyes narrowed, sending his friend a questioning look as he asked, "You have?"

Nodding, Shouji pointed towards his broken wrist. "This wound is that proof that I impressed Hawks." Tokoyami's eyes focused on the bandaged hand, limp and broken, in a cast that Shouji was surprisingly able to work around. "This was a move made of desperation because I couldn't bear to see you hurting over the truth any longer..."

"S-Shouji, I never wanted you to break your wrist for me."

"That was never your choice to make, Toko," Shouji shrugged, his mask crinkling into a smile. "I'd break my wrist ten times over if it meant being able to rescue you. You're my..." Though Shouji's voice trailed off, unable to finish his sentence as he looked away awkwardly, brushing his silver hair back as he adjusted his suit to accommodate for his injuries.

"I'm your what...?" He asked curiously, feeling a sudden tension in the air as Shouji froze up.

"M-My best friend, of course," Shouji suddenly stuttered out, though, by the sheer force of his words and the tenseness in his shoulders it was clear that wasn't what he meant to say.

 **"Y'know, I enjoy a slow burn as much as the next person but you two are hopeless,"** Dark Shadow announced, popping out from Fumikage's shoulder to roll his eyes at the pair of them.

Shouji's eyes trained on to him, a slight flush on his cheeks as he quickly finished putting on his costume, doing his best to ignore the Quirk as he placed his civilian clothes down. "The stuff he comes up with, right?" His taller friend muttered half-heartedly.

"Indeed. Dark Shadow, that is enough fooling around from you," Tokoyami muttered with his own eye roll to rival his Quirk.

Shouji quickly made his way to the door at that, while Tokoyami glanced up at his Quirk who was now mouthing the letters for "Hopeless" to everyone that could see. Exiting the changing room, Shouji closed the door, leaving Tokoyami to stare at his Quirk impassively.

"We are just friends, Dark Shadow," He tersely stated.

 **"You were ogling over his abs, Fumi,"** Dark Shadow deadpanned.

"I-I was not!?" Tokoyami exclaimed.

 **"Tell that to his abs."**

"I swear, is all you can think about to do with my potential relationships in the future!"

 **"So you admit Shouji could be a potential relationship?"** Dark Shadow jeered, swooping down to face his owner, beak touching beak as he smirked. **"I wonder what Izuku would think if you and Shouji got together?"**

"W-Why would that even matter? He's just a friend!"

 **"Tell that to your subconscious."**

"You _are_ my subconscious."

 **"Exactly."**

At that, Tokoyami threw his arms up in the air and stalked towards the door of the changing room, his Quirk whooping loudly as he drifted along behind.

* * *

Fumikage and Shouji were both standing outside of the Agency building, Hawks a few paces ahead, glancing around the streets carefully as he eyed the surrounding areas. Upon getting dressed, Hawks had ushered them from the building quickly, mentioning that he only had around two hours he could spare, so they should hurry up if they wanted to learn anything.

Though as they stood on the sidewalk, Tokoyami noticed Hawks reach for his visor, where he could see a small headset wormed into the Hero's ear. Presumably, this was a communications line that allowed the Hero to know of any important incidents going on in the city, something that any good Hero needed to have if they wanted to stay on top of their game.

"Alright then," Hawks suddenly muttered, glancing back towards the two students with a carefree grin on his face. "Three blocks north from here, there's a robbery of a local bank going on. That's where I'll be."

Before either of them could react, Hawks had opened up his blood-red wings and pushed into the sky, gusts of wind being all the warning the to Heroes got as the blonde suddenly began to race across the road towards the open air.

"H-He's so fast!" Shouji stammered, seeing that Hawks was already across the road, now looking down on them with a nonchalant glare.

"We need to move," Tokoyami muttered, instantly setting off into a sprint towards the nearest crossing, not wanting to get caught up in the traffic on the road.

Shouji was right behind him as the pair set off, racing down towards the first crossing, making it across without much hassle. Luckily for them, the roads seemed clear moving up towards the place where the robbery was taking place, so it would only take a few minutes of sprinting to reach the bank. More than enough time to catch up.

At least, that was what Tokoyami thought.

Shouji had glanced up, seeing that Hawks had entirely disappeared over the buildings, though he chose not to mention this to his friend. Mezou Shouji was no fool, he knew that this was only going to end in one way, but if Tokoyami was going to put himself through the ringer, he felt he had to be there for his friend. No matter how badly they'd be shown up by the end of this.

"Two blocks away," Tokoyami announced, crossing over the next street with Shouji in tow, making sure to not over-exert himself so he wouldn't lose sprint minutes into the patrol.

His blood was pumping, breathing light with a confident feeling, feet moving as fast as they could in his caped costume, while Shouji was managing to keep pace behind him, more so the spectator than a participant though, which Tokoyami had felt was the case from the outset. He hoped his friend wouldn't overdo it, given his injured arms, but Tokoyami's main focus was on Hawks.

"Almost there," He announced, reaching the street of the robbery, turning the corner, only to have his mouth hang open in surprise.

As they had turned the corner, the robbed bank was made clear by the shattered glass littering the sidewalk. What was so impressive however was that the assailants were all slumped over by the side of the road, while the Pro Hero who had clearly beaten the pair to the site, was leaning against the wall of the building casually, a drink in hand.

"What took you so long?" Hawks called out, brow raised. "I thought you could keep up with me."

"Y-You took out the entire operation in just a few moments?" Tokoyami stammered, wide-eyed, voice filled with shock.

Nodding, Hawks finished his drink, tossing it in a small bin beside the trio. "Yup, I even had time to grab a drink from the vending machine inside."

Tokoyami wasn't sure how to react, genuinely surprised by the speed and efficiency at which Hawks had displayed. They had only taken, at most, two minutes to make it to the bank from the Agency's doors, with clear traffic to boot. This Pro Hero though, he made it there in seconds, knocked out the thieves and had time to relax before they even arrived.

"Didn't I tell you once?" Hawks asked curiously. "My goal is to ensure that Heroes have more time than they know what to do with. Do you get it, yet?" He asked, his voice lowering to a serious tone, eyes narrowing as he stared at Tokoyami.

"Don't tell me..." Shouji muttered beside him, clearly in awe of the Hero in front of them.

"Me, solving this crime, gives you both more time than you know what to do with. My sidekicks clear up after I'm done taking down crime because none of them can keep up with me." Hawks shrugged, face impassive as Tokoyami felt his teeth clench.

"Are you trying to tell us that our assistance as Heroes is not required?" Tokoyami stated lowly, trying to remain as calm as possible, though the implications of Hawks words were having the adverse effect.

"Is that such a bad thing?" Hawks asked back, pointing over to the unconscious armed robbers. "I ensured you were in no danger from these men when you arrived and made the situation easier on you kids. I'm not trying to take you out of a job, just make it a lot easier. Now you two wait here for the police, then meet five blocks down, to the west of here. There's another situation."

Without giving them a chance to reply, he shot off into the sky, leaving Tokoyami staring at the Pro Hero with a completely different emotion to five minutes prior. This time, he was irritated.

They were being made redundant as Heroes and he wasn't okay with that.

"Shouji, can you wait here for the police?" He asked quickly, turning his fierce gaze to his friend, who blinked at him in confusion.

"Yeah, of course, why do you ask?" Shouji replied, brows furrowed in thought.

Tokoyami, in an instant, pointed his stare towards the slowly dwindling form of Hawks, glaring at the man as he continued to soar away. "I'm going to catch up to him."

"Wait a second, Toko, that's not a go-"

Without waiting to hear what Shouji had to say, Tokoyami broke off into a sprint down the pavement, cloak flapping in the wind as he continued to watch the Pro Hero, who was now a few blocks ahead of him. He could hear his friend calling out his name in irritation, but Shouji's voice grew distant as he sprinted down the street towards the outer part of the city centre.

"Dark Shadow, do you see him?" Tokoyami asked, allowing his Quirk to appear from beneath his cloak. His eyesight may be good, but his Quirk was far superior, even during the day. If he wanted to keep up, Dark Shadow would certainly help.

 **"He's pretty far ahead, Fumi,"** Dark Shadow growled, irritation evident in his tone as Fumikage's footsteps sped up.

He had to wonder what he looked like to onlookers who were going about their business, a boy and his Quirk in a dark cloak, racing down the streets of Fukuoka on a hot day. It was the definition of madness, but Fumikage had no care for how others were perceiving him right now. His sole focus was on catching up to that red-winged creature that was looking down on him.

But as with the previous situation, by the time he arrived Hawks had already cleared out the area, solving the situation and was already off in search of his next prey. Tokoyami quickly asked one of the witnesses if they knew where the Hero went and, upon learning his destination, set off once more.

It was around the fourth location when Tokoyami was beginning to seriously feel the strain, having to stop to take breaths as he looked out across the city streets, leaning against a brick wall as he took a moment to rest himself. His muscles were certainly screaming out and Hawks was still nowhere in sight. Tokoyami could feel the anger in his mind beginning to dissipate, however, as the fog around his thoughts parted.

He knew he had been acting recklessly, pursuing Hawks with fervent abandon.

And after an hour of running... There was no way he was catching up.

"Damnit," He growled. "He used me for information and mocked me."

No, that wasn't right. That was what he wanted to imagine the situation was. The truth of the matter was that he was too stubborn to realize he was fighting a losing battle. But that didn't change how one day he certainly wanted to catch up to Hawks, to prove that he shouldn't look down on him. That he wasn't just a damn carrier pigeon.

Finally giving in, Tokoyami turned back to the city centre, choosing to head back to the Agency for now. Hawks may have won this round, but if his clenched fists and Dark Shadow's low rumbling was anything to go by, this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

Little did Tokoyami know that on the rooftop above him, said Hero was watching him from above.

Hawks sat atop the building with a thoughtful look on his face as he stared at the student, unsure as to where to place his thoughts. The kid certainly had the motivation to catch him and would probably have continued to chase him through the streets, had he the stamina to do so. But he wasn't using his Quirk to his fullest potential at all. There were so many possibilities for improvement within Tokoyami's skillset.

That being said, the kid was far too tense for his liking. He needed to chill out and lighten up a little bit.

Even the Pro Heroes needed to take breaks, but Tokoyami felt like a tightly strung guitar, a strum away from snapping.

Still, he was someone to watch, that was what Hawks ultimately decided as he leapt from the rooftop, determined to get back to the Agency first. He had some gloating to do.

* * *

When Tokoyami emerged from the Agency's elevator, the first thing he heard was, "And he's finally back."

Gritting his teeth, his scarlet eyes locked on to Hawks, who was standing in the middle of the lobby with a smug grin plastered across his face. The Pro Hero looked no worse for wear, no scratches on his costume, no sweat on his forehead. Hell, his hair was still perfectly styled, meanwhile Tokoyami's feathers were absolutely soaked in sweat from the non-stop running, his breathing still somewhat laboured, cloak scuffed from dirt and other obstacles.

"I've gotta say, kid, you look awful," Hawks stated as he gave a once-over of Tokoyami's appearance.

"Thanks," Tokoyami stated back, just barely holding back his rather intense need to shout at the man in front of him.

"Well, you couldn't keep up with me anyway," Hawks shrugged, walking over to Tokoyami, who continued to stare at the Pro Hero with unbridled rage hidden beneath his poker face.

"I imagine a week interning with you would be seven days of what I just experienced, correct?" Tokoyami asked back, Hawks shrugging and nodding.

"Pretty much. I only give special treatment to those who can work at the same speed as me - But don't get me wrong, it's not because I don't like working with others. It's just that I like to solve problems before they become a problem, which means moving on straight away after finishing up a situation." At that, Hawks walked past Tokoyami towards the stairwell that led to the roof. "Still, chasing me for a whole hour, that was entertaining to watch."

Tokoyami snapped his head around to face the Pro Hero, who had already reached the doorway to the stairwell. "You observed me that entire time?!"

Hawks glanced back, that trademark casual grin on his face as he replied, "Yup. You were pretty interesting too. I might just have to call you again when you get a licence." Without giving Tokoyami the chance to reply, the Pro Hero held up a hand and waved, shouting one last, "I'm off," before heading up the stairwell and out of sight.

 **"Did he just...?"**

"Yes, he did."

Hawks had lectured him, looked down on him, said he was interesting, implied he was going to invite Tokoyami to his Agency and then ditched them before he could get a word in edgeways.

When he walked into the break room, still trying to process how quickly that conversation went, he noticed Shouji sitting on a chair near the window. His arms were folded tightly and looked at his expression, the taller boy was _not_ happy with the raven-headed boy. "Hello, Tokoyami."

"S-Shouji," Tokoyami stammered, suddenly remembering that he had, in fact, left his friend in the dust to catch up to Hawks for the better part of an hour.

"You're an absolute idiot," The taller boy started as Tokoyami could only stand, somewhat shocked at Shouji's words. "You leave me behind to go chasing after Hawks when I tried to warn you this would happen. You exhaust yourself and manage to make yourself look like a complete mess, and you can't even catch up to him."

"Wait, you're angry that I failed to catch him?" Tokoyami asked surprisingly.

"I'm angry that the whole situation even happened. This is meant to be _our_ internship, Toko, but you left me to go running off after Hawks. I can deal with a lot of things and I'm normally all for helping you out, even if it means being left behind, but after the week we've had, can you blame me for being a little on-edge here?" Shouji was now gesturing wildly with his arms as if to emphasize his irritation.

Tokoyami, meanwhile, could feel the shame beginning to blossom in the pit of his stomach, seeping into his tone as he muttered, "I-I did not think-"

"Did you not state earlier that today we should stay in sight of each other because you didn't want to risk another incident, only to ignore your own rules and go off on your own like that?" Shouji was genuinely angry, Tokoyami could hear it in his voice, though the anger didn't come out of hatred.

"...Yes, I did," Tokoyami stated, head now downcast as he couldn't meet his friend's eyes.

"If something were to have happened," Shouji began, standing up from his chair with a creak, to walk over to his friend. "If you got hurt and I wasn't able to help."

"We're Heroes Shouji..." Tokoyami muttered silently. "...We need to be prepared for outcomes such as injuries."

"Maybe when we leave U.A., fine, but right now we're both first-year students on our first internship and we're inexperienced," Shouji countered. "If you grow up too fast Toko, you won't be able to enjoy the present." He felt a hand clamp on his shoulder, gentle, yet firm. "I know things are hard right now. We've been through more than any first-year has a right to, you've been through more these past few days than anyone... But that doesn't mean you can make idiotic decisions like that."

Tokoyami's face was burning with regret at that moment, feeling his feathers all out of place and ruffled.

"I-I apologize, Shouji," Tokoyami whispered shamefully. "I let my emotions cloud my judgement and proceeded to act in a manner unbecoming of a Hero."

"We're all still learning, Toko," Shouji whispered quietly. "I'm not mad at you though. I get why you did what you did."

"But my timing was awful," Fumikage said.

 **"So is Shouji upset because you goaded Hawks, or because you left him behind, or because you're acting too adult-like and not enjoying your time as a teenager... Okay, I'm really lost,"** Dark Shadow mumbled beside the pair, glancing at them with extremely confused yellow eyes.

"Does it matter?" Tokoyami asked, turning to his Quirk.

 **"I mean sure, I think it might just be because he was jealous that you were ignoring him in favour of Hawk-"**

The sudden finger flick from Shouji right into Dark Shadow's forehead was enough to shut the Quirk up, though his laughter at his comment and Shouji's reaction stayed with them as he faded into Tokoyami for a rest.

"Impressive," Tokoyami admitted, looking at the spot where Dark Shadow had just been standing.

"I've been practising," Shouji deadpanned, the atmosphere lighting up significantly as that brief moment of tension was left behind them.m.


	68. Why did you wait? Beni's Home?

**Chapter 68 - Why did you wait? Beni's Home!**

As their fifth day of the Internship began to wind down, Tokoyami and Shouji were wondering exactly where they would be staying for the remainder of their internship, as the hotel room had been unbooked due to the incident.

Hayate had been talking with them for most of the day, getting more information on how Tokoyami handled himself during the incident between his time leaving Hayate and Beni in the car, to them arriving to help the duo against Akumi.

As expected, Fumikage's mentor was certainly not happy at the recklessness that caused Tokoyami to lose the transceiver during the mission and had proceeded to berate and explain that he needed to take better care of his gear. Relying solely on Dark Shadow was certainly a weakness that he needed to overcome if he wanted to be a strong Hero in the future, something that Hayate made clear he was hoping to see improvement on moving forwards.

Shouji had also received a small talking to about the stunt he pulled breaking his wrist. The disapproving look Hayate gave was enough for Shouji to sheepishly look away, taking the critiques as best he could. Though his broken wrist had ultimately won them the day, it was an overly-risky move, and while the pair finally understood just why Hayate was so against taking risks due to the loss of his old friend, that didn't mean he was letting that mentality go when it came to their development as Heroes.

"Had Akumi not been standing in the spot she was in, had you not been able to move to Fumikage in your pain, had you made the slightest miscalculation, you both could have perished as a result of your reckless actions."

Though his words rung true, Tokoyami could see in the way Shouji's eyes seemed to dart towards him in those moments, that there was no regret in Shouji's mind for the actions he took. He said he'd do it all over again if he had to, and Tokoyami definitely believed that.

Following their lecture, Hayate decided to give them another lecture about the media, deciding that the pair would be better suited to learning indoors for their fifth day of the Internship, a stark reminder that this was still, in fact, an exercise from U.A. to give them experience in a working environment and that, despite the rather traumatic experiences they had, learning was not beneath them.

That being said, the lecture was somewhat tense as Dark Shadow continuously popped out to glare at Hayate from Tokoyami's shoulder without any care for the other three in the room, ensuring that Hayate was on edge the entire time, as was Tokoyami as he kept his Quirk from going for the jugular. That being said, he couldn't deny the slight satisfaction of seeing his mentor squirm at the mere thought of a lashing from Dark Shadow over their past.

Fumikage imagined things would never go back to how they were before the incident. What worried him was whether that was a good thing or not.

When the lecture was over, Hayate brought the two students back to the lobby and pointed to their bags.

"You may have forgotten but I promised you your final day here would be a day for you both to sightsee," Hayate explained. "Since tomorrow is your final day in Fukuoka, you can consider the main bulk of your internship passed. You haven't any need to stay here at the Agency, so I made some arrangements."

"Arrangements?" Tokoyami asked curiously, interest piqued.

"Indeed, for the last two nights of your stay, you'll be staying at Beni's place."

Said woman popped out from a room behind her desk with a big grin on her face, pushing back her glasses from excitement as she practically bounced towards them. "We couldn't have you stay at the Hotel since your school requested you stay supervised in the evenings after the incident. Since Hayate's got to stay here for work, you'll be coming back to my place!"

"We couldn't possibly intrude on your privacy, Beni," Tokoyami began, but the chestnut-haired woman waved him off with a roll of her eyes.

"It's not intruding if I'm inviting you. We can finally have that chat about mythology you promised me," She explained, giving Tokoyami a small wink. "I'll treat you to nice curry recipe my mother thought up as well, it'll be great!"

Hefting up her backpack that she carried around with her, Beni gave them both a large smile, before gesturing towards their luggage. "We packed all your stuff back at the Hotel, but if you need to go through it to make sure nothing's missing, now's the time to do it. We'll be leaving in a few minutes."

With her warning in mind, the two boys quickly gave a once-over of their belongings, Shouji opting to root around in his luggage to make sure everything was correct, giving Tokoyami a pointed look as he did so, eyes darting over to Hayate. Getting the message, Tokoyami quickly turned to look at his old mentor before asking, "Would it be possible if I could speak with you before I leave?" He asked calmly.

Hayate was expecting the question, as he had already walked over to his office, motioning for Tokoyami to enter with a nod of his head.

Glancing back at Shouji, he noticed the taller boy give him a quick look of encouragement before turning to his stuff. Beni, none the wiser, set to helping Shouji out, while Tokoyami turned his attention to his teacher's office.

As he stepped inside of the large room, it occurred to him that throughout their time at the Agency, he had yet to actually be inside his old mentor's office at any point. It was exactly as he expected though. The whole decor of the lobby, from the wooden flooring and brick walls to the various technological bits and bobs, was all present, though his teacher's desk was seated right by a large window that overlooked the city.

He imagined if anybody else had owned this floor, that would be the seat of a high ranking executive, that was the feeling he got as he followed his teacher towards the large mahogany desk.

Hayate took a seat on his side of the room, gesturing for Tokoyami to sit as well, Dark Shadow still watching the man from Fumikage's shoulder with an intense gaze.

"What is it you need, Fumikage?" Hayate finally asked, leaning forward in his chair, hands planted on his desk.

"We want the truth," Fumikage stated back with a level of control that left Hayate's eyes ever so slightly widened.

"I already told you everything I know about your situation that I'm liable to tell," Hayate explained, his tone confused as he tried to ponder Tokoyami's words.

 **"Why did you wait?"** Dark Shadow suddenly hissed out from his spot on Fumikage's shoulder, eyes a smouldering orange.

Hayate froze, mouth opened as if he were going to say something, when the question's meaning suddenly dawned on him, shutting his mouth as quickly as it had opened, the words lost in his throat.

"Let me rephrase Dark Shadow's question to something more of my liking," Fumikage said, his crimson eyes locked on to his teacher. He was the one in control of this talk, his teacher was weary of all the secrets after all. "I just want a straight answer. Had none of this happened, had the internship ended, had we never met my mother... Would you or my parents have ever told us about this, about our past?"

The question was out there, the question that both of them needed to hear the answer to. And hear it they did.

It was barely a whisper, but it was a reply. "No."

Closing his eyes, Tokoyami took in a deep breath at that, feeling a rage beginning to build deep inside. Not Dark Shadow's primal anger at the situation, but an anger of his own, that his past was hidden from him to the point that he may never have known the truth.

"Why not?" It was a simple question, Tokoyami's voice beginning to shake as he asked it, the cracks beginning to show.

Hayate could only shake his head, eyes melancholic and saddened. "We... We all wanted to forget. It was selfish of us, but your parents, myself, those involved... We never wanted it to be brought back up."

"We had a right to know this dark truth about myself, about the void we came from!" Tokoyami suddenly snapped, slamming a fist onto his mentor's desk, feeling that rage inside of him bubbling. "And you're telling us that we weren't allowed to know because you are all too afraid to face what had happened!"

 **"Shouji almost died because of your secret!"** Dark Shadow snapped, growing larger as he also joined Fumikage's fist, a claw now slammed on the table in anger. It was still too bright for the Quirk to potentially attack Airdriver, but the gesture left Tokoyami feeling glad that they were on the same wavelength, much to Hayate's unnerved shame. **"Had we known the truth beforehand, we might not have ended up in that mess!"**

"Even when Shouji and I were in her clutches, you continued to hide the truth," Fumikage breathed out, taking deep breaths to regain some composure. "At this point, I do not care about the events that separated me from that vile creature, nor do I care about why my birth was hidden from the papers or any of that. All I care about is why everyone decided it would be best to pretend the problem did not exist, to the point where I almost lost one of my closest friends!"

Hayate eyed the two warily, seeing the anger, the confusion whirling around in their eyes, emotions on their sleeves. Letting out a sigh of his own, Hayate shook his head and gave them an honest answer. "As I said, we were selfish. We didn't think something like this would ever happen and I can't speak for your parents, but as for myself, I tried so hard to close that chapter of my life."

He pointed a finger towards the door outside. "I restarted my Agency and relocated, I tried to forget the man who I called a friend, his wife who I now call an enemy. But looking at you, I was always reminded of what could have been... The past is the past, I wanted to move on, but in the process, I dragged you along with me without giving you a chance to look back."

 **"Our choice was made for us,"** Dark Shadow spat. **"We should have been able to make our own decision. Not live a lie!"**

"I know... I know... Fumikage, Dark Shadow, I..." Hayate gave them one last sombre look before pointing to the door. "...I failed you both, as a friend and as a mentor. And our trust may never be the same, but I only wanted what was best for you, to give you the best chance you had. That is why you are sitting there, a student of U.A. pursuing your dreams. Making your own decisions."

"I think I'm done," Fumikage replied sourly. "I feel lied to, like my life is not my own right now. Dark Shadow feels pain, pain that people we trusted our lives with, people we have known our entire life, were capable of lying to us. Can you imagine how we feel?" Tokoyami asked, pushing himself up from his chair with a scraping sound. "Thank you for talking with me, but I cannot continue this conversation any more."

"I truly am sorry, Fumikage, from the bottom of my heart. One day, I hope you can forgive me and my secrets, just... Don't hold your parents to the same guilt. I was the one who chose this path for you, after all."

Tokoyami didn't dignify his teacher with a response, walking towards the office door without a glance back, feeling the pain swirling around in his stomach.

Just the day before, he had comforted his teacher about his actions in saving Tokoyami from Akumi, and he was grateful for that, he really was. But not telling them the truth, not allowing them the knowledge that his heritage was not his own, that was far crueller than any adoption.

* * *

Beni's apartment was around thirty minutes away from the Agency, located in a quieter part of the city where the sounds of traffic and the murmuring of passersby were less frequent. They had walked there from the Agency, luggage in hand, Beni waving to anyone she recognized as they went, before finally arriving at her building - A large white complex with balconies outstretched on every floor.

As it happened, Beni's place was on the top floor of the building, the cheerful woman leading the pair up the stairwell to her home with a skip in her step. "It's been so long since I last had company, y'know." Though Tokoyami didn't feel he was particularly interesting or cheerful company, if it made Beni happy to have them at her house, he was willing to enjoy her hospitality.

Reaching the top floor, they were led down a large hallway to their new place for the next two nights, Beni unlocking the plain white door with a creaking sound, exclaiming a controlled, "Welcome to my home!"

Slipping off their footwear, Tokoyami and Shouji each glanced around the apartment with interest. Just like her desk at the Agency, it seemed that wherever you looked there were pieces of machinery or small knick-knacks strewn across countertops. Beni dropped her keys into a small bowl next to the entrance before hopping forwards towards the main living room of the house.

The living room was actually surprisingly clean, all things considered. Most of the parts they had seen across the entrance hallway seemed to keep out of the living room, where two large blue sofas were set up, with a wide-screen television screen hanging from the far wall. A small coffee table with a vase of well-kept flowers sat between the tv and the sofa, while various shelves set up with photographs, memorabilia and DVDs were stacked around the television screen.

There was a small balcony on the far right side of the room, which had enough space for a small table and a pair of chairs - Nothing spacious but enough for someone living on their own. To the left of the living room was a kitchen with the essentials. A fridge, a freezer, various cupboards, even dishwasher. A door in the back of the kitchen was also open, a washing machine laying dormant inside the darker room.

"You guys will be staying in the guest bedroom," Beni motioned as she placed her backpack down on the sofa, letting out a small sigh of relief. Her fingers pointed towards a room behind the pair, back near the entrance hallway to their right. "The bathroom's just opposite your room and my room and office is here past the living room," She continued, pointing to a door to the right of the balcony that they hadn't noticed before.

"Thank you Beni," Shouji replied, one of his hands morphed into a smile. "We're grateful you're taking us in for these last few nights."

"Anytime," She replied, waving off their thanks like it was nothing. "I enjoy having guests over, as long as you can mind a bit of mess in the hallways..."

"Your living room is free of clutter though," Tokoyami murmured, feathers flaring up as he realized he had accidentally insinuated she wasn't clean. "N-not that the rest of this abode is cluttered."

Beni let out a small laugh at this, rolling her eyes in enjoyment. "Honestly, you're both so polite. Now, go get settled in, I can cook up that curry I mentioned and we can all have a nice early night."

With a nod, the pair quickly made for the guest bedroom. Opening the door, they were met with bright blue wallpaper and a large bed in the corner, with a futon just below it. Aside from that, the room was similar in size to the hotel room they had slept in for most of the trip, so this was really nothing different.

"You take the bed," Tokoyami stated before Shouji could try and do the honourable thing and take the, far smaller, futon.

"Are you sure?" Shouji asked pointedly as he set his luggage down on the bed.

With a nod, Fumikage dropped his stuff near the corner of the room, giving a pointed glance to Shouji's injuries. "You need it more than I do, trust me."

Shouji didn't bother to argue back with his friend, instead choosing to take Tokoyami's advice and have the bed. Though as he began to unpack his night clothes, Shouji couldn't help but ask, "How did your chat with Hayate go?"

Tokoyami didn't reply right away, Shouji glancing over to his friend to see Tokoyami's eyes hardening at his question. Tokoyami opened his beak, then promptly closed it when Dark Shadow burst from his back to answer Shouji himself.

 **"He pissed me off!"** Dark Shadow exclaimed with a raucous growl, eyes glinting orange as he folded his clawed arms and stared angrily at the floor. **"He didn't care about our feelings, he was selfish!"**

"I... cannot deny that," Tokoyami sighed, his feathers visibly deflating as his tone took on a much more sombre note. "He informed us that, had we not met Akumi, he, nor my parents, had any plans to inform me of my birthright."

"Seriously?" Shouji asked, an incredulous frown forming on his features.

"Indeed..."

 **"He said he didn't want to remember the past and wanted to move on, but that's not fair on Fumi or I!"** Dark Shadow stated coldly.

"I simply cannot comprehend that my parents would keep such a secret from me... Though I will admit knowing my true father and how he passed away in the line of duty, I think I can understand my mother's hesitancy towards my career choice." Tokoyami, still in a daze of melancholy, looked down to the ground, taking a deep breath as he did so. "I understand I am fifteen years old and have much to learn, but knowing that they planned on keeping this secret for the rest of my days... Had we known this truth in advance, we could have prepared for Akumi's attack. Had I learned about this when I was a child, perhaps now I would be more accepting of the situation at hand."

 **"They waited until you were in danger, Shouji, and even then tried to hide the truth because it suited their story more than it did telling us the truth behind our birth. And even now, I feel like I'm getting treated like the house pet by everyone except Fumikage, yourself and our classmates because nobody seems to get that I have feelings too!"**

Tokoyami's voice seemed to crumble into a pitiful whimper as he stated, "We trusted them for years and it feels like they considered nought when it came to our feelings on the matter. It hurts..."

Shouji didn't say anything, letting Tokoyami and Dark Shadow continue to vent for the next fifteen minutes as they tried to make sense of the situation, frustrated feelings and heartbreaking emotions coming out in full force as the strain on the pair finally reached what could be considered a breaking point.

By the time they were done ranting, they were sitting on the Futon, leaning against the bed, Shouji's arm wrapped around both Tokoyami and Dark Shadow, who both gratefully took the gesture of comfort willingly. Dark Shadow's eyes were a deep blue by the time they were done, weary and tired, while Tokoyami was now leaning against his friend, feeling all the energy in his muscles just fade away.

"Truly, I do not care for why they took me from Akumi. I would not want to be raised by her, I just cannot understand why they wouldn't tell us..."

Finally, Shouji whispered, "They were probably scared. It doesn't make their choice any better, but fear can make people do pretty stupid things."

Glancing down at his phone, Shouji noticed it was getting later and, glancing down at his two still very heartbroken friends, he resolved to make the next day a good day for the trio. He'd take them sightseeing around the city and give them a chance to enjoy themselves, knowing that upon their return to Musutafu, there would be conversations and stress galore, followed by mid-terms and finals. Now would be their last chance to really enjoy themselves, despite the circumstances, after all.

"Things were so much easier a week ago," Tokoyami mumbled, his knees now hugged up against his chest. "The most I had to worry about was my mother's permission to come here to Fukuoka."

"Things will go back to normal, Toko, I'm sure," Shouji muttered.

 **"It'll never be the same though,"** Dark Shadow sighed, curling around Fumikage's neck comfortingly.

"We're Heroes," Shouji replied. "It's our job to get through this kind of stuff. I'm sure once you've talked with your parents, things will start to resolve themselves."

 **"That's gonna be an awkward conversation..."**

"Agreed. I can't say either of them will be easy to talk to given my mother's penchant form crying almost as much as Midoriya, while my father will probably try to brush everything under the rug."

Shouji shrugged. "You won't know until you talk to them."

That was when they heard Beni call out, "Hey, it's time for my famous curry!"

"C'mon," Shouji muttered. "I can deal with your brooding, but Beni doesn't deserve to go through that." His playfulness was not lost on Tokoyami, who wordlessly allowed Dark Shadow to give his friend a friendly thump to the back of the head.

Perhaps Shouji was right, they could worry about all of this when they were back in Musutafu. For now, they should thank their host and spend the remainder of their time in Fukuoka positively. Maybe a sightseeing trip wasn't a bad idea after all...

* * *

"So how is it?" Benji asked politely, trying her best to contain the nervousness as they sampled her mother's curry recipe.

Clearly, there was a lot of family pride at stake seeing as she seemed somewhat petrified for the results. Luckily for her, the curry tasted wonderful. Tokoyami hadn't stopped eating since he began, while Shouji was the one replying to Beni with compliments like how the heat and the flavour complemented each other extremely well, stuff that Tokoyami wasn't so well versed in.

He wasn't a food critic by any means, he just enjoyed what he ate and this curry was wonderful. Even Dark Shadow, who had fifteen minutes prior, been upset beyond belief, seemed more heated and warmed up by the food, comforted that their host was so talented in her cooking skills. Perhaps it came with her Quirk type though, as she needed to blueprint machines to create her gadgets. Cooking was a natural translation, swapping out screws and bolts for peppers and onions.

 **"The food's great!"** Dark Shadow chirped, giving Beni a thumbs up from his spot beside Fumikage, said boy giving a nod in response.

"I'm glad you both are enjoying it, that's a big relief on my end," She sighed happily. "I could totally give you some curry recipes for when you have to cook for yourselves one day."

 **"This one needs it."**

"Toko needs it."

Dark Shadow and Shouji both blinked, turning to each other, before letting out a loud laugh together while Fumikage felt his feathers fluff up from embarrassment. "Just because I'm not a good cook..." He grumbled to himself.

"We all have to start somewhere," Beni stated, giving him a pitying shrug, letting out a quiet laugh of her own.

As they finished off their plates, Shouji offered to take the dishes to the kitchen, despite Beni and Tokoyami's insistence on helping out, but as Shouji entered the kitchen and left them alone in the living room, Beni took the chance to strike a quiet conversation up with the bird-headed boy.

"Honestly, you're both one-of-a-kind," She stated, waving her hand in Shouji's general direction. "I heard a lot about you from Hayate; you were all he talked about whenever he came back to the Agency."

"Really?" Tokoyami asked.

"Mhm, all the time he'd go on about how you were improving and how proud he was. If anyone didn't know any better, people'd think you were his son," She chuckled. "I know he's made some mistakes in the past and I know you're not on the best of terms, I could see it in your face when you left his office today, but I'd hate for you both to leave it there."

"I understand that," Tokoyami replied tersely. "I just don't feel ready to forgive just yet. He saved me in the past but I'm still hurting..."

"I'm sorry to hear that," She replied solemnly. "Forgive me, it's really not my position to tell you how to deal with your problem, I just don't want your relationship with Hayate to be ruined forever."

"You really care about your boss, don't you," He replied back warmly.

"Yeah, he helped me out of a bad spot once," She replied back, her voice wistful with nostalgia. "I'd just left school and I wasn't getting any jobs. I tried applying everywhere and he was the only person to give me a chance, just when I thought I'd give up on my dream. Without Hayate..."

"I had no idea," Tokoyami replied, genuinely stunned by how his mentor's kindness towards others had stayed so prevalent even now. His mentor had lied to him, hurt both himself and Dark Shadow, but he was still a Hero. Professionally, he was an amazing man,

"He's like a father to me," She said. "And anyone he cares about, I care about too. So you, Dark Shadow, Shouji and any of your friends, if you ever need advice or help or just someone to talk to, I'll be happy to listen or help."

"That's very kind of you, Beni," He replied, right as Shouji began to emerge from the kitchen, dishes all cleaned up. "If it is fine with you, I think I shall retire for now. Thank you for allowing us to stay here, once again," He nodded, Beni doing her usual schtick of waving them off like it was nothing.

 **"Didn't you two say you were going to check on Midoriya and the rest of the Class this morning?"** Dark Shadow suddenly stated aloud, the two students turning to the Quirk wide-eyed.

"I completely forgot!"

"Oh, gods..."


	69. Truths and Incidents? The Aquarium?

**Chapter 69 - Truths and Incidents!? The Aquarium!?**

The two students quickly retired to the guest room that Beni had set up for them, Tokoyami pulling out his phone at their earliest convenience to see just how bad the barrage of missed messages had been. They had been out of contact with the class for two days straight, so sending a quick message to their group chat to let them know things were okay was probably for the best.

Tokoyami didn't dare to utter anything regarding the situation that the pair had been dealing with, seeing as it seemed the incident was purposefully being kept on the down low. At the most, Hayate had mentioned earlier in the day that they were part of a mission to capture Akumi, carefully avoiding the truth to the public that Shouji had actually been captured by the villain. It would reflect badly on U.A. and given that times were already strained after the USJ incident, they really didn't need any more problems moving forwards.

Not to mention, discussing the incident would inevitably mean talking about Akumi and Tokoyami found himself wanting to distance himself from the subject as much as possible, Dark Shadow humming in agreement.

Shouji was sprawled out on the bed above them, also on his phone, the pair lost to the technological world for the moment as they tried to catch up on the different updates from their classmates.

It was around nine thirty in the evening when Tokoyami finally noticed the object of his interest come online, noticing that unlike most of the class, it seemed the trio that was involved in the Hosu City incident had barely sent a message. They were in the hospital, after all, so Tokoyami decided to start out with a message of concern.

 **Tsukuyomi - Midoriya, we heard you were in the hospital and wanted to wish you a safe recovery.**

Midoriya didn't reply immediately, Tokoyami feeling his stomach tighten as he waited to see whether his friend was even willing to reply. He had no way of knowing what had gone on with Midoriya, but he sincerely hoped things were okay now.

 **Deku -** **Tsuku! Don't worry about me, are you and Shouji okay? Everyone's been talking about a villain in Fukuoka who managed to escape capture, it's on the news!**

 **Tsukuyomi - The news? I apologize but Shouji and I have been rather busy as of late, we haven't had time to check.**

He really should have expected that the story would have reached some of his classmates. There was no way that Shouji and Tokoyami could be edited out of the media given they were seen by so many people and hospitalized for twenty-four hours, but reading about Midoriya's concern only made him feel guilty about not contacting sooner.

 **Deku - It was on TV here. We didn't have our phones so all we could do was watch the news! Apparently, Airdriver and Hawks both failed to capture this tough villain called the Crimson Shadow and when I saw that, I knew you guys were probably involved so the moment I got my phone I came online to check and saw your message-**

 **Tsukuyomi - I think I understand now Midoriya. Shouji and I are fine. We were involved but we merely acted as back-up for Airdriver and Hawks.**

 **Deku - But you guys were apparently wheeled away by paramedics! Everyone was worried about you two!"**

"It seems our escapades are on the news," He muttered to his friend, Shouji glancing back at him with a look that seemed to suggest he was tempted to just go to sleep, rather than deal with the aftermath of the incident, nor the barrage of questions that he was sure they were bound to receive.

 **Tsukuyomi - Trust me, we're fine, Midoriya. Shouji has a broken wrist and a few cuts, but it's nothing Recovery Girl cannot fix when we return to U.A.**

 **Deku - Oh... That's great then! I'm glad you're alright, Tsuku!**

 **Tsukuyomi - What about you? I hear you fought the Hero Killer.**

 **Deku - Yeah, we did! I mean, I wasn't planning on fighting him but then when we got to Hosu, we ran into him and one thing led to another and we ended up fighting. Todoroki and Iida were there too.**

 **Tsukuyomi - I'll admit, when I heard that something had happened, my mind flashed to Iida. I feared that he might have tried to avenge his brother's attack and done something foolish.**

The fact that Iida had gone to Hosu in the first place had left Tokoyami with more questions than answers, given he knew the student was capable of much more than the smaller agency he visited, and Iida certainly got some great offers as well. He was certain that there was more to Iida's choice than had been made known and he suspected that Iida had sought after Stain, the Hero Killer.

Still, thinking back to that night, Midoriya's explanation...

 **Deku - Iida was helping out the Heroes in Hosu when we arrived. Stain showed up soon after.**

 **Tsukuyomi - And you were with your mentor the whole time as well?**

 **Deku - Yup, Gran Torino really helped out.**

That didn't sit right with Tokoyami. Because he recalled the night that the incident had happened - That message that had been sent through the Class 1-A group chat with the address in Hosu City. Why would he use that to call for back-up if he had Pro Heroes on hand?

 **Tsukuyomi - Midoriya... Please do not take my words the wrong way, but something about that night still bothers me.**

At this, Midoriya tellingly didn't reply back to his statement. Whether it was because he was waiting to hear what Tokoyami had to say, or he was genuinely upset by the implications Tokoyami was sending, the bird boy wasn't sure, but it felt like his suspicions were being confirmed.

 **Tsukuyomi - That evening, you sent out a text to everyone in the class with an address in Hosu. If you had your own mentor, Iida and the Hero Agency he was working at, why would you need more backup?**

 **"Izuku's totally lying,"** Dark Shadow drawled, his voice catching Tokoyami off guard, as well as Shouji who glanced down at the pair with a surprised look.

"Midoriya is lying to you?" Shouji asked, shifting himself to stare down at Tokoyami on the futon.

"I have a suspicion, nothing more," Tokoyami replied back, still staring at the phone screen, waiting for a reply.

 **"That address text was weird, doesn't make any sense if Izuku had help around,"** Dark Shadow quickly summarized for Shouji.

"Would you stop calling him by his first name. It's rude," Tokoyami sighed, flicking his Quirk away from his shoulder out of annoyance.

Dark Shadow merely slid back, hissing, **"Not my fault you're too afraid to ask if you can call him Izuku. I mean, we've known him for like seven months now."**

"He'd probably combust into flames if you called him Izuku," Shouji drawled from his spot, a sly grin on one of his dupli-arms. "Either that or start crying."

"I know you jest, Shouji, but with Midoriya involved, I would not put it past him."

At that moment, his phone gave a small ping as a reply finally found it's way into his inbox, Tokoyami glancing down once more to see Midoriya's reply.

 **Deku - Hey, this is Todoroki. Midoriya's currently having an episode in the corner, figured I'd answer.**

"Todoroki?" Fumikage replied, surprised.

"Todoroki?" Shouji parroted, one of his dupli-eyes hovering over Tokoyami, Dark Shadow also staring at the phone in bewilderment. "He must be with Midoriya and Iida in the hospital."

 **Deku - The situation's a little more complicated than the media made it out, that's all we can say.**

 **"That sounds familiar,"** Dark Shadow commented, Shouji nodding in agreement. Tokoyami couldn't help but also agree - Those were pretty much the exact words behind their own incident here in Fukuoka, and given the Hero Killer was involved, was he really surprised that something had happened that needed to potentially be covered up?

"I'd say we don't grill Midoriya any further," Shouji muttered. "I imagine he'll tell us what happened in his own time."

Nodding, Fumikage quickly typed up a quick reply.

 **Tsukuyomi - Understood. We will not ask any more questions about the incident.**

 **Deku - Alright, passing you back to Midoriya now. He seems to have calmed down.**

With that rather odd conversation out of the way, Midoriya returned a few moments later and the trio settled back into their usual spots, deciding that it would be best to not bring up their respective incidents any more. Though Fumikage couldn't help the curiosity that was spreading through him as he wondered just what had happened during Midoriya's time in Hosu and rather selfishly, he hoped Midoriya would confide in him at some point.

Though given he wasn't sure if he wanted to confide to Midoriya about his own experiences and revelations in Fukuoka, he furrowed his feathers and leaned back with a discontented sigh.

 _ **"We should tell him,"**_ Dark Shadow drawled in his head.

 _"And why do you think that?"_ He asked back, both curious and concerned that Dark Shadow was about to start making another joke about crushes.

 _ **"Remember what Hayate said? If Akumi's with the League of Villains, we'll probably encounter her again and I imagine we'd not want Izuku to find out the truth from her."**_

 _"That's... actually a rather sound reasoning. Are you well, Dark Shadow?"_

 ** _"Of course I'm okay,"_** Dark Shadow huffed, Fumikage pretty sure that he'd be crossing his arms and rolling his eyes if he wasn't inside of him at the moment. _**"I can be smart."**_

 _"Sometimes."_

 ** _"Don't push it Fumi."_**

 _"I was only teasing - You know, that thing you constantly do towards me during every waking moment of the day."_

 ** _"Oh haha, very funny,"_** Dark Shadow groaned, a playful annoyance in his tone.

 _"Still, I think I agree with your option to tell Midoriya the truth. But when we're back at U.A, of course."_

Leaning back, Fumikage glanced up at Shouji, who had actually fallen asleep on the bed above him, his form rising and lowering slowly with every breath. Here he was thinking about Midoriya, but when he glanced up at the rather toned form of Shouji, he felt his feathers fluff up, turning away to face the doorway, Dark Shadow giving him a lascivious grin.

 _"Don't even start with that again,"_ Tokoyami quickly warned, sensing his Quirk's intent.

 ** _"Oh, I wasn't going to say anything. After all, it was you who called him 'Stupid Sexy Shouji' the other night in the hotel,"_** Dark Shadow stated bluntly, much to Tokoyami's horror and mortification.

Being a teenager was difficult. They were just friends, he enjoyed the company of all of his friends, his hormones had nothing to do with it. Not that Dark Shadow seemed to agree given he was effectively a representation of most of Fumikage's inhibitions, much to his own annoyance. His Quirk always held a grain of truth in his actions - A fact that Fumikage had accepted from the beginning.

But when Dark Shadow was effectively trying to set him up on dates with Midoriya and Shouji, despite the fact Fumikage wasn't even aware he swung that way, so to speak, until Dark Shadow had voiced those opinions of his.

Shaking his head, Fumikage groaned inwardly. He couldn't imagine really being with either of the pair in any romantic way, not yet. He cared about them as friends to an equal measure and wanted to get to know them further, but both of them were still strangers going by the time they'd known each other. One month of physical contact for the pair, with an extra six months of online discussions with Midoriya... That wasn't enough to make any decisions.

Why was he even thinking about this anyway?

 ** _"Because you liiiike them."_**

 _"Buzz off!"_

* * *

The next morning, the two boys awoke to find a fresh breakfast on the table and a note beside it written in Beni's scrawled handwriting. She had already headed off to work at the Agency and had apparently cooked them up a delicious meal to start the day.

 _"You boys be careful sightseeing today! And make sure to be back before eight, we can't have the school worrying about your wellbeing. I've left a spare key next to this note in case I'm not back. Have a great day!"_

"Beni truly is a kind soul," Tokoyami muttered as he wolfed down some scrambled eggs with a honey-apple sauce, something Fumikage didn't know he needed in his life until now.

Shouji couldn't help the hilarious snort at Tokoyami's rather pronounced eating, a far cry from his usual etiquette standards. Shouji couldn't help feeling content in that Fumikage was more than happy to act just a little more casually in his presence. It solidified their already tight friendship, something that Mezou treasured with all of his heart at this point.

They'd been through enough together in the past week that their friendship certainly was stronger than it ever had been before. It all sounded quite cheesy in his head when he thought about it - How close they had become in such a short time, and not just himself and Fumikage. Kouda, Midoriya, the rest of Class 1-A, despite their short time together, he had come to treasure those in his class more than anyone in his life before.

Then again, these were his first proper friends that he had, given his middle school days were fairly quiet when they moved to Musutafu following the bullying he received at Irube.

"So where do you want to go today?" He finally asked, snapping out of his trance to glance at his friend, who had just finished the eggs.

Tokoyami shrugged. "I think we've both done enough walking in our patrols that a simple stroll won't be too special," He said. "But as for a specific destination, I have no ideas."

"Well, it's just an idea but Beni did mention once that we could go to Uminonakamichi, you remember, the marine park?"

Tokoyami nodded, recalling that the conversation had happened after Beni took them patrolling on their second day, the day before everything seemed to hit the fan. After everything that had happened, that chat with Beni had completely left his mind, but thinking about it, a marine park would be quite the exciting place to visit.

Not only was it a tourist spot, which meant less chance of being attacked should something come up, but he could get the chance to take Tokoyami on a journey through the aquarium they had there, a personal childhood highlight for Shouji when he used to live in Fukuoka.

"It's funny how the first thought that popped into my head was how safe we'd be due to it being a tourist hotspot," Shouji mused, chewing on a piece of toast wistfully. "At this point in our training, we're getting used to analyzing situations and locations, it's weird."

"Well, how about we try not to think about our training for today and just enjoy the sights like you suggested," Tokoyami replied, a wry attempt at a smile on his face, or at least what he could attempt due to his beak.

"Uminonakamichi, it is then."

* * *

It was weird for the trio as they sat on a bus, headed for the marine park. They had done some quick research on ways to reach the marine park and found a suitable bus service that was taking tourists straight there - The joys of being in a populated city where tourism was a source of income. That being said, sitting on a bus and travelling, without patrolling or without a purpose that was for their training - that was different.

Dark Shadow had taken to staring at various members of the public while stating what he thought of them in rather snide remarks to the two students, who humoured him with good-natured chuckling.

 **"Loser."**

 **"Cheating on his wife."**

 **"Looks more emo than Fumi."**

His antics were harmless and Tokoyami had to admit, some of the western tourists did seem a little out there for his tastes. It didn't help that he could barely understand the conversations going on around him since they were all speaking in different languages, leaving him to brood next to Shouji rather than eavesdrop on the lives of people he'd never see again.

Shouji, meanwhile, was almost bouncing with giddiness in his chair as the bus turned to the seaside, following the shoreline along a massive winding curve of land towards Uminonakamichi. They could see the land it was situated on from the bay, a four-kilometre stretch of parks and attractions, fun for the whole family or for those looking to sight-see.

The taller boy had already mentioned how much he enjoyed the ocean and sea life in general, to the point of practically naming himself after an octopus's tentacle. The aquarium was something Tokoyami recalled Shouji had visited in his earlier life as well, so getting the chance to have a nostalgia trip that was more pleasant in comparison to the Irube Incident would certainly be a nice change of pace.

Fumikage, meanwhile, was actually more excited for the vibrant flower fields that could be traversed by bike. The aquarium would be a great time-waster and he was sure to enjoy it, but the promise of verdant fields of flowers, all different colours, shapes and sizes, that was more to his own interests. Being at one with nature was a way of, not only soothing himself but Dark Shadow as well. And with all the stress on their plates, it would do them all some good.

When the bus arrived, they hopped out into a carpark, where they could see a large bike rental stand at the far end.

"You want to rent a bike or walk?" Shouji asked as they started walking across the tarmac.

"Definitely bike," Tokoyami replied, relishing in the chance to ride a bike after having his old bike stolen a month prior. It would do him some good and hopefully give his legs a bit of exercise that they hadn't really received in some time.

Stepping up to the rental place, Shouji was able to acquire a pair of bikes that they could rent for the day, being told to stay on the marked cycling paths which were lined with light blue strips on the sides.

Glancing towards the direction of the aquarium, Tokoyami found his heart beginning to flutter as he noticed the sakura trees in full blossom, pink cherry blossom petals drifting in the wind, just as they did in cheesy romance anime. The bright green grass and well-kept cycling track looked so inviting and the excitement must have shown in his posture because Shouji was smiling from beneath his mask.

 **"This is pretty cool,"** Dark Shadow hummed as Tokoyami hopped up onto his rental bike, experimentally feeling the handlebars, getting one foot planted on a pedal, the other balancing him on the ground as he glanced over at Shouji.

"Ready?" He asked, Dark Shadow wrapped around his neck.

"Let's go," Shouji replied confidently, lifting his foot up to push his bike into a pedal.

It was a wonder that Shouji could competently ride his bike given that he still had two injured hands, but having six arms certainly helped him out when it came to strenuous activities, and while Tokoyami felt a slight twinge of guilt for making his friend use his arms as he was, he couldn't help but feel enjoyment out of the activity, pushing off and letting the wind rustle through his feathers as they set off down the cycling road.

"I haven't ridden a bike in such a long time," Tokoyami stated with a wistful sigh, cycling at a leisurely pace beside his friend.

"Same. Been quite a few years since I last chose to ride a bike," Shouji replied. "Still, I figured you'd enjoy it. I remember you lost your bike when we first got to U.A. This isn't exactly a replacement but-"

"I appreciate the sentiment, Shouji," Tokoyami nodded back.

 **"He really appreciates it, if you know what I mean,"** Dark Shadow stated teasingly, sticking out a spectral yellow tongue at Shouji, who rolled his eyes at the Quirk's comments.

"Must you always be so crude," Tokoyami muttered to his Quirk, though surprisingly there was no anger in his voice at the blatant teasing. Perhaps he was simply in too good of a mood to have it ruined.

 **"I just meant that you really take compliments to heart,"** Dark Shadow replied with faux shock.

"Sure you did," Shouji quipped, meeting Dark Shadow's eyes with a sly raise of his brow, from beneath his silvery hair.

"I do appreciate the kindness in your gesture though. Not many would inconvenience themselves to such an extent, especially with your... uh... injuries," Tokoyami stated, voice trailing off towards the end as embarrassment set in.

"Not a problem, Toko. You saved my life, after all, a bike ride is nothing!"

As they cycled past the sakura trees, they spotted the aquarium coming up ahead of them, large glass windows and reflective walls, all lined in a large semi-circle. The marine park was absolutely massive, towering in size compared to anywhere they had been previously in the city, around a similar size to one of U.A.'s practice arenas.

When they finally reached the main building, they locked their bikes up next to the entrance and made their way from there across a large open plaza, complete with two dolphin sculptures playing with a bright red ball in the centre. There were tourists taking photos next to the statues and the trio couldn't help but do the same, Shouji holding the camera as his arm length acted like a selfie stick.

With a few pictures taken, one of which had Dark Shadow startle the pair, they made their way to the main building, walking up the many steps to the entrance, where they could see a ticket booth and a short black-haired woman at the desk.

"Hi, two tickets please," Shouji asked, holding out some money for the woman, who quickly charged them a pair of student tickets, apparently a discount that hadn't been explained on the website, and promptly let them in with a smile.

Walking in on their right, the lobby was lit up with the shining sunlight of the day outside, but they could see large entryways leading to darker halls, exhibits lining every hall.

"We're on floor two," Tokoyami thought aloud as they looked at a rather detailed map on the wall. We're right by the Open Ocean exhibit, want to go there first?"

"Toko, we're going everywhere," Shouji simply replied back, hooking his arm around Tokoyami's and dragging the raven-headed boy across the lobby towards the first exhibit, eyes shining wide with excitement.

 **"You might want to let him go before he bursts into flames from being so manhandled,"** Dark Shadow quipped as they entered the Open Ocean exhibit, noticing many visitors were pressed up against the glass, looking at the mystical world beyond.

Shouji promptly let his friend go, muttering a quiet apology, while Tokoyami tried to compose himself. Spoilers, he was failing to compose himself.

The Open Ocean exhibit was a large stunning tank of dark blue water, spanning a full twenty-four meters across the aquarium. Behind the glass, it was another world entirely. Fish of all shapes and sizes swam in content harmony, drifting through the shimmering blue depths with adept speed and agility. There were some small coral reefs on the bottom of the tank, with forests of seaweed hiding some of the more quiet fish.

Tokoyami found himself enveloped in the community of the tank, so much so that he didn't realize Shouji was tapping on his shoulder to move on until Shouji waved an arm in front of his face.

They decided to take out the rest of the main attractions on this floor as quickly as possible, next taking a step into the sensory overload that was the Jellyfish of Kyushu exhibit. The hall of the attraction was a darkened black, with purple highlights glowing from the walls, where large pictures of jellyfish had been set up with some readable plaques beneath them, which taught visitors about the different jellyfish of the region.

Dark Shadow and Shouji really got invested, despite Tokoyami's reluctance due to finding Jellyfish to be rather uncomfortable, quickly moving them through the lucid exhibit and into the Coral Reefs of Amami hall. This was a much more pleasant experience, with many smaller tanks set up with beautiful coral patches in every tank, of different colours, shapes and sizes.

Unlike the Open Ocean tank, the coral reefs here were more contained and easier to view, with the water being crystal clear and easy to see through. Though he didn't know the species, dark blue fish with yellow tails swam across the glass, some even looking straight at the trio as they walked.

"This really is quite a place," Tokoyami muttered to himself as they left the exhibit quicker than he would have liked, though when the trio saw their next destination across the hall, all thoughts of prior exhibits faded from their minds.

Because just a few paces away was the Sea Otter Pool.

 **"I want to be one of them,"** Dark Shadow oogled, watching as an otter dove into the water from a large rocky platform, which they were watching through a little window.

Shouji could see a trio of otters all faceplanted on the ground away from the rest, just relaxing in each other's company. It looked so calming, so inviting. He honestly envied these little otters who wouldn't have to worry for the rest of their days. They could be content just living in each other's company.

"Sea Otters are truly communal creatures, are they not?" Fumikage mulled, trying to sound somewhat mysterious, though the giddiness in his voice was not lost on Shouji, who felt extremely happy they had chosen to come to the aquarium that day.

"The rest of the class would love this," He muttered, his mind drifting to the other classmates who would love the wildlife here. Kouda would probably try to talk to the fish, Midoriya would be cataloguing them all for some sort of notes, Bakugou would be standing outside the aquarium, not being allowed in due to being a hazard to the glass tanks. One day, they'd have to make a day of it. Go to an aquarium closer to home, the whole class.

With the second floor scoured, they turned their attention to the third floor, seeing as it was higher up and there were fewer attractions than the second floor they were just on. And the first exhibit on their third floor stop was Kyushu's Inshore Waters. Walking across at least half the expanse of the aquarium, the Inshore Waters exhibit was unique in that it seemed to change as they walked, recreating various regions of Kyushu's oceans within the aquarium.

As with before, they were both lost in the serenity of the tanks, Shouji excitedly pointing out an actual octopus that was slithering along the bottom of the much darker, almost misty blue, tanks. The colour was less pronounced, whites and cyans melding into a monochromatic scene of beauty that had Fumikage smiling the whole time. Dark Shadow was constantly trying to scare fish away from the glass with stupid faces, though he never was allowed to leave Fumikage's shoulder for fear of breaking the glass.

Getting banned from the Marine Park would be a rather awkward way to end their internship after all.

From the water, they moved into a water-nurturing forest exhibit called Aso, which, according to the guide, recreated a spring from the wilds of Kumamoto, known for its water. It was hard to believe they were in a building thanks to the many trees and shrubbery that dotted the landscape, as if they were in an actual forest and away from the ocean for the time being. This was a setting where Tokoyami admittedly felt the most at peace, reminding him of the woodlands behind his home.

It was nice.

"I'm glad you took us here, Shouji," Fumikage stated, when they came to the end of the Aso exhibit, lingering before the exit door as Fumikage looked back at the greenery around them. "It's been so relaxing."

"I aim to please," Shouji smiled. "I just wish everyone else were here to see this."

"Midoriya would probably enjoy the Coral exhibit," Tokoyami mused.

"Kouda would be talking with the sea lions all afternoon," Shouji laughed.

 **"Tsuyu would love it here too. I bet she goes to aquariums all the time,"** Dark Shadow added, a rare comment that wasn't a scalding tease or a sarcastic quip.

With their friends on their mind, the trio began the trek down to the first floor, where the last of the exhibits were left, spotting another portion of the Open Ocean exhibit where manta-rays and even a few sharks seemed to be swimming around, a far cry from the smaller fish on the second floor portion of the exhibit. From there, they headed to the Deep Ocean Waters exhibit, which was similar to the Coral exhibit with smaller tanks that depicted and showed some of the creatures that lived at the deepest of pressures.

Tokoyami imagined that if he were a fish, he'd be one of these. All the pressure on his shoulders as a student training to be a Hero, who had evolved to look different from his compatriots... Glancing at Dark Shadow, who had been one of those pressures all his life, as well as his own appearance, the irony was there.

"I'd rather move on, if that's okay," Fumikage muttered, feeling his spirits lower.

Shouji placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly and steered them away, only two more exhibits left to go before they had seen everything, having spent upwards of an hour and a half in the aquarium already.

Their spirits perked up as the next exhibit was a bright, almost ice-like tank filled with the most adorable dolphins they had ever seen. The cure facial expressions of the finless porpoise were enough to perk Tokoyami up from his momentary stupor, leaning against Shouji ever so slightly in contempt as they continued to watch the Dolphins swim and poke at those watching them.

 **"They look cute but they'll get you if you're not careful,"** Dark Shadow bristled, a little less high on the idea of the dolphins than the other two.

"They'll get you?" Tokoyami asked snarkily, arms folded. "Are you scared of dolphins, Dark Shadow?"

"A high and mighty Quirk like you, afraid of a little sea creature?" Shouji stated in surprise.

Dark Shadow turned his head away, giving an irritated, **"When the dolphins rule the world, don't come running to me."**

" _Right_ ," Shouji stated pointedly.

Walking away, the last spot on their tour of the Aquarium was perhaps the oddest experience Tokoyami had ever had.

Stepping outside into the sunlight, they were taken to a place known as Creature Island, where sea lions, seals and, to Shouji's delight, Penguins, interacted. Shouji had wandered off, looking at all the different sea creatures lounging around and playing together, but Fumikage was in a completely different spot.

He sat off to the side, looking at a single penguin that was just staring at him, it's black and white coloured wings folded by it's back, gazes locked as Fumikage could feel a kinship of lament forming.

Penguins, flightless birds.

"Flightless birds..." He bitterly muttered. "How do you do it, casually go about your day with no problems at all, despite the fact that you can't fly even though you're classified as an avian species that predominantly knows how to fly. I was not blessed with wings either, I can't fly... We're the same, you and I."

 **"You're complaining to a penguin, Fumikage."**

When Shouji came to check on the pair, he came across Tokoyami trying to strangle his Quirk while a lone penguin watched, giving a loud caw at the pair before hopping back into the water.

 **"Even the penguin left you, bahahaha!"**

"I think it's time we leave the penguins before you have an existential crisis, Toko."


End file.
